MILLWALL academy manager Scott Fitzgerald has revealed his delight that academy products are committing their future to the club.
Sid Nelson and Aiden O’Brien signed new long-term deals this week with Fred Onyedinma set to extend his stay with the Lions.
John Marquis, meanwhile, committed to a new one-year deal last week.
And Fitzgerald feels the youngsters coming through have a connection with the club that have given them an opportunity.
“I’m really pleased they’ve signed, but why wouldn’t they sign?” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a fantastic club, we’ve given them their chance and the guys have come into the first team and done well.
“I would have been surprised if they hadn’t signed.
“The guys have been with us a long time, they’ve got an affinity with the club, we’ve given them the opportunity and now it’s up to them to push on this season.”
With several academy products moving up into the first team, Fitzgerald envisages more youngsters following a similar course soon.
And the academy boss feels future graduates will force their way into the senior squad because they are of a standard manager Neil Harris and Fitzgerald expect.
“Neil will only play players if he thinks they’re good enough,” Fitzgerald said. “So it doesn’t matter if they’ve come through our academy or not.
“They need to be good enough, so I want to make sure even our players understand that just because you’ve come through our academy, you’re not automatically going to get a go.
“They have to be of a standard and if they are of that standard, Neil will give them a go.”