1 week Ago
The two Academy graduates were left out of the squad entirely having been unused substitutes in recent games. Augustus Kargbo and Emmanuel Dennis, as well as Todd Cantwell, came back into the squad after injury and illness. However, Kristi Montgomery and Igor Tyjon were selected ahead of the two senior players.
Adam Forshaw has been preferred in midfield too despite being out of contract in two months. Ismael explained that the decision was based on the make-up of his bench but also due to performance. He did insist that no decisions had been made about either player's long-term future, though.
READ MORE: 'Real chance' - Blackburn Rovers boss on tantalising final-day play-off battle "Now, when you get all the players back, it's a normal decision I have to make," Ismael told The Lancashire Telegraph. "At some point, it's clear that some players won't be happy with our decision. But, as I say, when you have all the players available, you get the competition into the squad.
"Every player now needs to raise the performance in a training session to be first in the squad and to make sure you can keep your position in the starting eleven. "This is my job, to take some decisions at some point. I want to put myself in those situations to make decisions.
The players were for sure not happy. But I said to them, this is now the new situation we have. "It's a good situation.
Good new situation. Everyone needs to show up now. We still have a good week to work, to train.
They just need that to make sure that the performance is right. "It's exactly what you need as a manager. The competition with the squad, that everyone gives everything on the pitch.
" "We have some decisions to make. We will take properly our time. We will have the discussion with the players," he continued on their long-term futures.
"It doesn't mean because we took the players out that they're not part of the process. It's always when you get your squad, you have the starting eleven. On the bench in general, you have one number six, one centre-back, full-backs and as many of the attacking players as you can get.
"The two players said to me, we are ready to go (Dennis and Kargbo). You can feel it, they wanted to be part of the process today. So it's made, for me, easier to make that decision.
"For the two players who are more defensive players, hard to take. But it's always for the group and what we need at that period of time." Makhtar Gueye was absent after getting injured in training.
He was spotted at hospital on Friday but was only left out as a precaution. "He got injured yesterday. He had a kind of concussion," Ismael explained.
"It was not a real concussion in the training, but he fell on his head. He had a scan, so he was fine. He was conscious, so it was not a problem.
"We didn't want to take any risks afterwards. So, it was the right thing to do at that moment.".
