DOUGIE Freedman insists he will not be pressured into over-playing Crystal Palace’s youngsters despite calls from fans to see more of the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Jonathan Williams.

Both came off the bench during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough and Zaha in particular was hugely impressive, nearly changing the game with his trickery and pace down the right.

But Freedman has learned the lessons of last year on how best to manage the development of his young players.

The Palace boss explained: “What the fans want and what the fans get will be what I decide.

“What happened with Wilfried last season was that he was played too much and in the end you didn’t see any impact from him at all in the second-half of the year.

“The problem is with youngsters it is difficult to play them week in, week out because the expectations are too much for them.

“We’ve got to be patient with the lads.

“I’m pretty sure I know what I’m doing with the young lads and they can’t play every game, it is as simple as that.

“With Wilfried three games in a week is too much for him right now but those last 20 minutes he came on and did what he had to do and he was fantastic.

“He’s a fantastic young player and he is getting better.”

Follow us on Twitter @NewsShopperSprt