Youth will be given chance vows Walsall boss Darrell Clarke

But while Clarke has vowed to give everyone an opportunity, he warned they will have to impress him quickly if they want to avoid his ruthless streak.

The Saddlers currently have 10 players on their books with first-team experience.

They also have a batch of talented youngsters with Alfie Bates, Callum Cockerill-Mollett and Mitch Candlin all hoping the 2019/20 season will be a breakthrough year.

And Clarke says all of those players are in his thoughts ahead of the team reporting back for duty a week today.

“Everybody will be in my plans,” the boss said.

“We are having the youth team and the first team together for pre-season. It will be a mirrored pre-season.

“Everybody will be at the training ground for the pre-season period and I will be looking and analysing everything.

“I will be looking at all the players and seeing what’s what, and seeing how we go moving forward.

“Everyone will have a fair opportunity to impress and they have to impress because I am pretty ruthless if needed.”

Clarke has bolstered his ranks this summer by bringing in Stuart Sinclair and James Clarke from former club Bristol Rovers.

But while fans are desperate to see more signings at the Banks’s Stadium, the boss says it’s important he gives the players already in his ranks the chance to impress.

“We have had a couple of staff meetings now and we are getting more and more organised,” the 41-year-old continued.

“It’s not just about signing players and bringing them through the door, it is about getting organised and getting ready for the players that we have already got at the football club.

“It’s important for me to have a good look at those guys in the pre-season programme and then build the squad up as we go along.”