Jon Whitney has spoken to the local press and revealed that the upcoming pre-season schedule, which will see the Saddlers take on several nearby non-league teams, has been carefully constructed to give local managers an opportunity to assess the Saddlers squad ahead of any potential loan moves.
The manager has made no secret of his desire to link up with local sides to secure first-team football for his up-and-coming starlets, and he sees pre-season as the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling.
Jon, who was speaking via the Express & Star, said; "The reason we have done that is so they can have a look at our young lads. Their managers will look at the players in those games and decide which one they would like to target. It’s like a trial game in a way.
"We need to see if it fits because we want to get our players in the pyramid. We have got a game against Chasetown as well which ties in with Steve Harper their first team coach. I used to play with him at Huddersfield.
"But we want to take our time with our kids. I would like them to do a full pre-season with me to set them up for the season. Then I will discuss with the respective clubs whether they want to take any of my players."