As manager of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson always maintained that giving youth its head was vital to the success of the club. "If you give young people your attention and an opportunity to succeed, it is amazing how much they will surprise you," he told the Harvard Business Review in 2013. Few will forget Alan Hansen's famous line on Match of the Day in 1995 - "You can't win anything with kids" - but Ferguson proved him wrong to the tune of 25 major honours during 26 years in charge.
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION 2
Riki Wessels braces for refreshing role flip in Worcestershire
I really wanted to find that love the game again. I felt a little bit stale: Riki Wessels © Getty
Over the past four years, Worcestershire have adopted a similar philosophy to that of Ferguson, developing a core of young, homegrown players to take the club forward. It makes financial sense because they cannot afford to shell out big money for big name signings, but it has also created a sense of community and commitment surrounding the clubs that those without a similar core can struggle to recreate.
Understandably, it has taken a huge amount of time and effort, and there have been bumps along the way, but the graft was rewarded last year with the county's first ever T20 Blast title, and their first limited overs trophy of any kind for 11 years. It could be a coming of age moment for this young squad, even if Championship relegation was a reminder they are far from the finished article.
"Now I am getting on a bit, they do feel really young," Worcestershire batsman
