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Jul 23, 2012   |  4:48PM AET

Victory youth primed to shine

Victory youth primed to shine

Mark Milligan believes the new, youthful look to Melbourne Victory’s squad has coach Ange Postecoglou perfectly placed to bring success back to the club.

Mark Milligan believes the new, youthful look to Melbourne Victory’s squad has coach Ange Postecoglou perfectly placed to bring success back to the club.

An underwhelming 2011-12 Hyundai A-League campaign – despite high pre-season hopes – led some critics to point to a lack of youth coming through at the club.

The late-season emergence of midfielder Jimmy Jeggo, 20, grabbed the attention of Victory fans, while 17-year-old winger Julius Davies thrilled in his brief cameos after his clearance to play arrived in March.

The departure of faithful veterans Rody Vargas, Grant Brebner and Matthew Kemp has lent a much-changed look to Victory’s squad ahead of the 2012-13 campaign, augmented by the arrival of strike prospect Theo Markelis defenders Adam Traore and Sam Gallagher – all of which are under the age of 23.

With master coach Ange Postecoglou now in charge, Milligan believes the future is bright.

The defensive utility is one of the team’s most experienced players at age 27, having re-joined the club on a permanent basis on July 11 after an impressive stint on loan from Japanese outfit JEF United last campaign.

“The average age of the team now is mid-20s. With Jimmy coming through late in the season and doing very well… he’s looked very good since I’ve been back,” Milligan said.

“There’s obviously young Julius Davies as well. He’s very, very, very talented. Even Pete (Franjic, defender) and the boys like this coming through – they’re still very young.

“I think Ange will nurture that as much as he can, obviously with his background with the Young Socceroos and things like that.

“I think the same was done up in Queensland (with the Roar). They had a lot of young boys coming through, and if they are doing well they’ll be given the chance.”