Departing Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie is backing the youngsters at Villa Park to take the club to new heights.
He told Villa's website: "Craig is a local lad, there are a few of them that have come through and that is good for the club.
"Managers are giving young kids a chance now and that is good because young boys are hungry to play football.
"They are hungry to show people that they are good enough. It is alright spending millions of pounds on players, but sometimes you do that and you end up with nothing. It is a gamble, so why not gamble on the kids and give them a chance?
"Craig showed last season he is good enough to stay in there, Isaiah Osbourne got in there, Gabby Agbonlahor did well. They are all raw and ready to go."
