Ruben Selles will take a much-changed Reading team to League Two Cheltenham Town tonight in the second of three EFL Trophy group stage fixtures.
Beating West Ham United Under-21s 3-1 at the SCL Stadium in the opener, top spot is in the Royals' hands if they can beat the Robins, who themselves have maximum points after beating Newport County in their opening fixture.
After three League One matches in a week, Selles has confirmed that he will look to make as many changes as he is permitted to ahead of next week's international break, giving key names a 'deserved' rest.
With that in mind, take a look below at four youngsters who could use the trip to the EV Charger Points Stadium as a springboard for their campaign.
Ashqar Ahmed
17-year-old Ahmed would be the most straightforward swap at full-back, with Reading currently light on both the left and right sides of the defence. With three appearances for the Under-21s to date and a captain’s start for the Under-18s, the teenager played 45 minutes against West Ham Under-21s in the opening fixture of the EFL Trophy group and picked up an assist for Tyler Sackey’s goal.
Tyler Sackey
The 18-year-old midfielder has made an impressive start to the season, scoring in the opening fixture of the EFL Trophy against a young West Ham side before scoring again in a 2-1 victory over European giants Ajax in the International Cup. Playing in four out of the five PL2 fixtures, the natural next step would be a start in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Jayden Wareham
A regular in first team matches off the bench, the 21-year-old looked bright in a 20-minute cameo at Rotherham United on Saturday. Yet to score a league goal, the striker scored in the opening fixture of the competition and appeared in four of the five Trophy matches last season. With Sam Smith finding a bit of form, the young forward could really start to pressure the single-striker role with impressive cup performances.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan
With such a thin squad and regulations regarding squad changes, it is inevitable that some first team regulars will need to feature in Gloucestershire. Approaching 70 appearances for his hometown club, Ehibhatiomhan is always a threat and has 15 goals for the club in the past two seasons. However, after being sent off in South Yorkshire on Saturday the 21-year-old will be ineligible for the visit of Crawley Town in a fortnight. With an international break on the horizon, it might be a case that the forward plays against the Robins before having his extended break in the future.
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