Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish admits the club is placing a lot of pressure on some of the young players this season.
22-year old Australian midfielder Chris Herd has been given some key roles in his five Premier League appearances so far this term and McLeish acknowledges that to place so much workload on such an inexperienced top flight player is a bit much.
"Guys like Herdy are getting a crash-course in the Barclays Premier League. To rely on these kids for the whole season is putting a lot of pressure on them," Eck told the club's official website.
"But Herdy has come in and done well but sometimes he will have to get a rest. That's the challenge ahead of us.
"He was all over the place. He made tackles, got booked, he's an athletic kid but his legs gave away towards the end. If we expose him too much we risk injury."
McLeish also said he has seen enough in Herd to suggest he will be a very important player for the West Midlands club in the future.
"He's certainly shown the mental toughness to handle it. He's developing but let's not put too much pressure on him," he added.
"He's a certain type of player. He's a foil for the other midfielders. I'm not saying for one minute he's the next Scott Parker, but he's the guy I have told, and I know he's capable of it. When we don't have the ball you have to be the anchor in case someone gives it away."
