Orient youth could feature in final home match of season while rumours suggest a former AC Milan midfielder could be the next manager at Brisbane Road

Leyton Orient caretaker Andy Hessenthaler has paid tribute to the youth breaking through at the club and hopes to have some involved this weekend at Brisbane Road.

The O’s host Mansfield Town with nothing but pride at stake after their hopes of reaching the play-offs were officially ended last Saturday.

A 1-0 loss at Wimbledon ensured that, in a clash where youngsters Scott Kashket and Sandro Semedo were introduced late on in south London.

Orient’s under-18s recently won their Merit League One campaign and a few of those players could be involved against the Stags on Saturday.

“Andy Edwards, Danny Webb and Richard Thomas have done a fantastic job with the youth to produce what they’re producing right now,” said Hessenthaler.

“There is a good crop of players coming through, they’ve won their league and are probably the only bright thing to come out of this season.

“We will sit down and decide what team to pick for the game. We certainly wouldn’t put loads of them in, but it is worth two or three of them getting an opportunity to show what they can do at senior level.”

Josh Koroma made his debut off the bench at Barnet on April 9 and could be involved against Mansfield.

Kashket and Semedo could start, while defender Aron Pollock has been in the match-day squad numerous times recently and may also be given a chance.

Koroma played the full 90 minutes today as Orient finished their ‘Final Third’ Development League South campaign with a 3-1 win over Gillingham.

Michael Clark, Tristan Abrahams and Rian McLean were on target at O’s training ground this afternoon.

The victory occurred after rumours began to circulate last night (Wednesday) that former AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso could be the club’s next manager after some bookmakers shortened his odds.

But Gazzetta dello Sport believe the former Rangers ace has been offered the opportunity to coach the Kazakhstan national team.

This week Gattuso did seem to hint that he might leave his current club Pisa, currently in the Lega Pro – the division below Serie B.

“The project has changed since I arrived. People came in with different ideas to mine, focused on a youth project similar to a Football College,” the ex-Milan favourite said according to Football Italia recently.

“There is no longer the family atmosphere of when I arrived and Fabrizio Lucchesi was the sole owner.”