Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Tayo Adaramola are the most regular visitors to Copers Cope Road, and both played up from the Academy for the first-team in 2021/22.
“It’s important, because that is part of their development,” Vieira said. “It’s good to see them around the first-team, to see their personality and to see how they will conduct themselves in training and in the dressing room with players around.
“That allows me to learn more about them. We have Jes and Tayo training with us. They will be around the first-team for these three [remaining] games and some of the games they will be on the field.
“We need to give them and create these types of opportunities to see how they will react under pressure.”
Several young players have trained with the senior squad this season, with the likes of newly-professional Ademola Ola-Adebomi most recently crossing the road.
The introduction to the first-team can be challenging, and Vieira has emphasised the need for support on and off the field – revealing this week Jaïro Riedewald’s influence on settling in young players.
“When you are a young player and you are in the first-team, you are looking for someone to guide you,” Vieira explained. “Jaïro did a fantastic job with Jes, and that gave him confidence.
“You always need someone around you to help you grow as a player. If Jes found that with Jaïro, then that is really positive.
“[Then] it is about balance in the team. Jes and Tayo have shown that they can play in our team in the Premier League. It’s just about having the right players around them to support what they are missing.
“The balance has to be right to allow them to play with confidence and belief.”
There are plenty of options for next season, and Vieira will make decisions on which talented Academy players stay with the squad and which move away on loan – but finding the right loan move is a difficult process that he says should not be underestimated.
“When sending a player on loan, we should know everything about the club we are sending that player to,” he said. “That has to be one of the options, because some of them need to be playing week-in, week-out to keep making mistakes, and to allow themselves to grow as players and to learn.
“We have to find the right place that these young players can improve themselves. One of the most difficult things to do is to find the right place to send players on loan. You need to find the right club that the player will play.
“You will need to find the club that will allow the players to make mistakes, but to keep playing. But you also know that sometimes when they make mistakes, that can cost the job of the manager. It’s a difficult one.
“We have to think and try well to find the place for them to keep developing themselves.”
