Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is eager to introduce more academy kids to the first team.
Southampton have suffered a big setback with defender Jannik Vestegaard side-lined for a month with a knee injury.
Striker Danny Ings and winger Nathan Redmond also suffered muscle problems which kept them out of the Boxing Day stalemate at Fulham.
The transfer window re-opens next week but Hasenhuttl, who had six academy graduates on the bench at Craven Cottage, said: "Sure we could always have more players with quality but our budget is not like the budgets of other clubs.
"I think we have in every position two options now, most of the time it is an experienced player and a young one — and we don't want to block the young players too much, We want to develop them. And in the last game I brought the young lads in, and they must take the experience against the big teams, they must learn and they have to be patient, but the moment will come when they get more time.
"We know our history with our academy, we know that we need to force them to play. As a manager we look at the young players and the club normally like to give them a chance in the Premier League, although it is tough."
