ODM
Player Valuation: £750k
Half the players that people think we should be "giving a run of games with the first team" to played against West Brom reserves:
Yobo, Yakubu, Mustafi, Wallace, Baxter, McAleny. They drew 2-2.
Rodwell made it into the first team. Coleman made it into the first team. Barkley is making it into the first team. Gosling made it into the first team. (And I haven't even mentioned Vaughan and Anichebe.)
Gosling though, never quite made it in. Injuries and what not was the sole reason he got to play the few games he did. Rodwell has not established himself as a first team player and Barkley has done a number of games in preseason, much like Gueye last year who then didn't get much of a sniff.
I'd prefer to see what our younger central midfielders could do on loan as they won't be getting the competetive games they need to be ready for the Premiership. It's worked for most other young players that have broken through lately (Cleverly, Sturridge, Wilshere, Coleman etc) but I think our youngsters are suffering from the lack of depth we have. Moyes' is so afraid we'll suffer the usual injury setbacks that he can't afford to loan any fringe players out. Baxter is still only 19 and yet has been on the bench a number of times since 2008.
I'd prefer to see him at somewhere like Blackpool who strive to play attractive passing football, but he needs gametime to take the next step and if we aren't going to play him (looks like he's somewhere down along 10-11th choice anywhere in midfield) then what's the hold up?