United manager Graham Alexander says he’s got a hungry set of players to choose from ahead of Saturday’s away encounter with Shrewsbury Town.
He spoke of the competitive nature which exists within the squad, and revealed those who weren’t selected for the last outing against Southend United are vying for a place this time round.Speaking to The Iron PlayerHD, Alexander said: “We’re looking forward to the game on Saturday, we know it will be a tough game. We need to get the levels up to where they have been recently.
“They’re (the players) in great spirits, supporting each other and competing with each other to be in the team. When the team is winning you’re always desperate to stay in that team or get in it, and that’s how a good, competitive squad should work.”
It’s one of the few times the Iron boss has had a full week to work with his players, due to the hectic start to the new campaign - something he’s very grateful for.
He also touched on last weekend’s comprehensive victory over the Shrimpers, and stated the performance was a joy to behold.
“This has been the first week where we haven’t had a midweek game since the start of the season (including last week when a behind-closed-doors friendly was played at Leeds) - so the lads have been together all week,” he explained.
“It has been really good and refreshing. It’s good to keep the squad together as much as possible, which sometimes isn’t always possible, but this week we have been able to do that.
“The players are in great form, they’re feeling good about themselves and how they’re playing. You’re always desperate to get to the next game because, looking at the game last week, it was a joy to watch.
“At the time you’re sort of wrapped up in the game and just desperate to win it, but when I watched it back over the weekend, it was a joy to watch some of the football we played, and we need to maintain that if we can.”
On the injury front, Alexander had good news and gave an update on the fitness of both Jamie Ness and Luke Williams, who’ve featured sparsely so far this season.
“Jamie (Ness) and Luke (Williams) have been included back into training,” he revealed.
“You never get a fully fit squad in football, there’s always some niggle or some clash of legs going on, so you’re always nursing a couple through.
“As for numbers, we’re in good healthy numbers at the moment and, like I said, everyone’s desperate to stay fit and stay on top of their game to keep in the team.”
See much more from Graham Alexander, Stephen Dawson and David Mirfin on the Iron PlayerHD.
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