England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley has praised Crystal Palace duo Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher and says the first-team experience they are getting with the Eagles is invaluable to their development.
The pair have been two of Palace's key players so far this season as new manager Patrick Vieira has implemented a new, attacking-based style of play in south London.
At centre-back, Guehi has played in every minute of Premier League action so far this season, while Gallagher's two goals and three assists and his general play in midfield have earned him the club's Player of the Month awards for both August and September.
This experience at the highest level is something that will only serve them well, says Carsley, who will likely name both of them in his starting XI to take on Slovenia tonight in Celje.
“It’s really important for their development that they are trusted to play in the first teams, that they are playing at such a high level and that they’re able to manage the emotion that comes with playing in the first team and the up and down with results and coping with that,” Carsley told the South London Press.
“Those two are very level-headed players and watching their games at Palace, they’re obviously very important to Crystal Palace as well and we’re aware of that.”
Carsley has only been in charge of the Under-21s since July but got his tenure off to a winning start last month as he oversaw a 2-0 win over Kosovo at Stadium MK.
When naming his squad the former Republic of Ireland midfielder chose Guehi as his captain, and this week he said the 21-year-old was a different type of leader to one you'd usually expect on a football pitch.
“In terms of getting around the players in training, that encouragement, he’s a different kind of captain, he’s not a ranter and a raver, he leads by example,” added Carsley.
“We’re quite lucky within the squad that we’ve got three or four players that can do that, that are more than capable of leading, but Marc’s been an outstanding captain and a big part of what we’re doing here.”
