Sabri Lamouchi believes Joel Bagan is not ready to impact Cardiff City's first team just yet but urged the club to sign him up to a multi-year deal.
Bagan, 21, is one of a number of players to have broken through from the academy into the first team in recent years, but his game time has been massively reduced this season. He has not featured in a single match-day squad under Lamouchi.
Left-back has been a problem position for Cardiff all season, too, with Jamilu Collins' injury, Niels Nkounkou's defensive frailties and Callum O'Dowda suffering his own injury issues, too.
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But Bagan has scarcely been called upon. Indeed, he has played just eight minutes of Championship football, with three other outings coming in the two cup competitions.
Last season was thought to be his breakthrough year. The defender scored three goals in as many games as Steve Morison led City to safety at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign.
It just hasn't been the case this season, though, and, given his contract is up in June, many Bluebirds supporters wondered if they would see him again. Well, if Lamouchi has his way, then he will be a first-team regular at some point in the near future.
"Joel is a good player, he is young," said Lamouchi. "But I've never used him. He trains with us and he adds some quality. But it's so early for him. I like him.
"That's why we asked months ago, weeks ago, to sign a contract with him. Because we think it's early for him to play with the first team, but soon he will be part of the first XI.
"That's why the club should offer him a contract for two or three years."
The Bluebirds manager said after the international break that he had tried to use the fortnight to secure some of the younger players' futures.
However, while he could only offer his opinion on how to proceed, Lamouchi said it's now in the club's hands.
"This is not part of my job, to discuss it with the player or his agent. The club know what I'm thinking," he added.
"I asked them not about only him, even for one or two other young guys. The club, even if the present is not so positive, we are where we are, we have to think about the future and the younger talent from the academy."
So, as things stand, it is unlikely that Bagan will be starting at left-back any time soon. But, on a more positive note, it does look as though Callum O'Dowda and Joe Ralls, both of whom have played there in recent weeks, have more positive prognoses on their injuries.
"For the moment we don't have any players out. We have some small problems, but everyone should be training today," added the head coach.
"For me, when you finish a game, you can start another one. But sometimes you get some small problems and you can't. That was the case with the captain. He finished very well (against Sunderland) and I hope he will be available for Saturday.
On O'Dowda, he said: "He should be on the (training) pitch today. With me, he has been more out (of the team) than in, unfortunately for me!"
Lamouchi said he had a meeting with the medical department regarding whether Rubin Colwill, who missed the Sunderland defeat with a hip problem, would train on Thursday.
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