Youri Mulder: The players have to try their hardest

Youri Mulder on…

…the final eight games, including Sunday’s match in Fürth:
The season isn’t over yet! We’re heading to Fürth to try and win the game. We want to pick up lots more points to ensure we stay up, climb the table and to give our fans something to enjoy. I expect every player and staff member to continue to be ambitious and highly driven.

…what he expects from the team:
I expect everyone to try their hardest in every training session and look to impress us, with both the current and the upcoming season in mind. We’ll certainly take note of anyone who has already switched off with the summer break on their mind. However, given how well I know this team, I don’t expect that from anyone – quite the opposite in fact.

…conversations with players whose contracts are expiring at the end of the season:
We spoke to Mehmet Aydin, Marcin Kaminski and Tobias Mohr last week and informed them that they won’t be offered a new contract at Schalke as things stand. I think it’s important to be open about these things. The lads can plan their future better if they know our plans. They will all still have the chance to impress over the coming weeks and show why they deserve a new contract.

…the possibility of more minutes for young players who haven’t featured much recently:
We will give players who are under contract for next season a chance to show what they are capable of. This will allow us to learn important things ahead of the coming season. We’re a professional football team and anyone that plays for us will have earned it and will contribute on the pitch. Nobody will be gifted anything here. We won’t be experimenting – we’ll only give opportunities to players who we believe can help us in the future.