Burton Albion currently have 17 outfield players under contract for next season.
Of that group, seven are aged 23 or under - and three of the Brewers' four goalkeepers in Harry Campbell, Jack Livesey and Callum Hawkins also fall into that age bracket.
Albion's squad was always likely to become more streamlined following their relegation out of the Championship, with a quartet of loan players returning to their parent clubs and others retiring, being released or choosing to go elsewhere at the end of their contracts.
That means the younger players will be afforded more opportunities as the Brewers return to League One, as Nigel Clough has previously suggested.
"There are four young players, if you include Will Miller as well, who hasn't got much experience," he said last month.
"There's Joe Sbarra, Ben Fox and Marcus Harness.
"One thing it does is it pushes them up a little bit, it pushes them up the pecking order."
Burton Albion catch-up
Miller missed the majority of last season through injury, having impressed in a sustained spell in the side around Christmas, while Fox and Harness spent their time out on loan.
Fox impressed for Solihull Moors and Gateshead in the National League, with Harness making 42 appearances for League Two Port Vale as they narrowly avoided relegation.
There were more first-team opportunities for Sbarra with the Brewers, as the academy graduate made four starts and 14 substitute appearances in the Championship, never looking fazed despite Albion's ongoing battle against relegation.
He is likely to be joined by Miller, Fox and Harness in battling for regular inclusion in Clough's starting XI next season, and they will certainly provide enthusiasm, energy and variety off the bench if that is their role.
Twenty-year-old Marcus Dinanga and 18-year-old Reece Hutchinson, meanwhile, will hope to impress in pre-season to prove their readiness for squad involvement.
Another loan spell may await Dinanga to further his game-time and hone his undeniable goalscoring talents after two outstanding spells at Matlock Town and AFC Telford United in the last two seasons.
Jamie Allen is by far the most experienced of Burton's under-23 first-teamers, having notched more than 100 League One appearances for Rochdale, whom he captained as a 20-year-old, before he moved to the Pirelli Stadium last summer.
The central midfielder looks set to be a key figure of the Brewers midfield in 2018-19.
Luke Murphy and Jacob Davenport have returned to their parent clubs, Tom Naylor has left for Portsmouth and Hope Akpan's future is still up in the air, with the Nigeria international yet to sign the contract offered him by Albion last month.
"Allen is primed to have a good season, so he'll be in there - we just need some help for him in there," said Clough earlier in June.
The former Rochdale man will be better for his experiences of battling in the Championship for a season, and his playmaking abilities in the third tier have already been proved.
For all the youth currently in the Brewers ranks, there could still be room for more - and Clough proved as much during Albion's previous League One campaign.
To an experienced EFL spine in 2015-16, Clough added Mason Bennett and Tyler Walker to aid their push for promotion.
This summer, Albion - again boasting know-how in most key positions - have been linked with departing Dundee United midfielder Scott Fraser, who is 23, and 22-year-old Otis Khan at Yeovil Town.
They could yet offer a deal to 23-year-old defender Tomas Egert, who is returning for pre-season training after a short spell last season.
Clough has also spoken about the importance of their relationships with clubs like Derby County and Manchester City for possible loan deals this summer - and there would be an interest in another move for Davenport if possible, although he is likely to attract approaches from Championship clubs after his displays for the Brewers last season.
There will be plenty of focus on Albion's key and experienced performers come August.
Liam Boyce, Lucas Akins, Ben Turner and John Brayford are among the players who will be expected to lead by example and help the team hit the ground running in League One.
But there will also be room for Albion's younger names to make a telling impression in the coming months - and that is an exciting prospect.
