MARK Hughes will be keeping a keen interest on Finn Cousin-Dawson’s progress with Northern Ireland this weekend.

The young defender is once more on international under-21 duty with Euro qualifying games for the Irish in Slovakia and France.

John Schofield’s squad are in action this afternoon in Zilina against one of the two sides they have beaten in their six group games. They then face the French in Calais on Monday.

The double header offers Cousin-Dawson a chance of his first minutes on the pitch since Hughes took the Valley Parade helm.

The defender’s last appearance was off the bench in the Harrogate home loss when Mark Trueman was in temporary control.

But Hughes will be watching to see how Cousin-Dawson gets on – with an eye to potentially giving the younger players in his squad an outing before the season is done.

The City boss and former Wales manager said: “When young players go away with international groups they sometimes get exposed to better quality and that can help their progression.

“If they can deal with that upgrade in opposition and the quality then it obviously pricks my interest in terms of understanding what they can cope with at this point in their careers.

“It’s a good outlet for them and a very important one.

“We’re really proud that Finn’s involved at international level. It’s important for his development and we’ll benefit in the long run as a club.”

Cousin-Dawson is on a long-term contract at Valley Parade until 2024 – the same as Reece Staunton, who was on the bench last week against Port Vale.

That was his first appearance in a Hughes squad having previously played at Oldham last month when he went off injured before half-time after a difficult afternoon.

Staunton had been out of the league picture for 15 months up to that point following a season-ending hamstring injury at Leyton Orient in November 2020.

Kian Scales, who has another year to run on the deal he signed before the start of the season, has also barely featured in a City shirt this term. The last of his four outings was more than four months ago at Sunderland in the Papa John’s Trophy.

The midfielder then had a loan spell at Farsley in the National League North – as did Staunton with Bradford (Park Avenue).

Hughes hopes there may be scope for the younger pros to be involved again in the final six weeks of the season.

“At the moment we’re looking more at the more senior players, which obviously impacts on them,” he added.

“If there’s an opportunity to get them some gametime somewhere between now and the end of the season then we’ll look at that.

“Finn’s got the option at international level which will help him so it might not be as imperative for him.

“Obviously I think it’s important that young players have got a week’s work but then have an outlet for their energy at the weekend, which means games.

“If we can try and find some games for them from now to the end of the season then that will help. They are obviously part of what we are doing in the future.”

But even with City’s mid-table situation, Hughes stressed there will be no gimmes on offer in the remaining seven games for those currently on the fringes.

“I’d never guarantee anybody a game because circumstances change very quickly on a daily, even hourly, basis it seems at times in football,” he said.

“If an opportunity presents itself and the player’s trained exceptionally well and I’m off the view that he merits an appearance, then he will get that.

“That would obviously be my decision and we’ll have to see. I’m not too sentimental in that regard just getting games for games’ sake.

“Guys have to really earn the right to play in Bradford City’s shirt so that shouldn’t change.”