Brian Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City's young players, whom he ranks among the best in Europe, were key to his decision to join the Bluebirds.
The Irishman has led Cardiff to League One promotion in his first season in charge, ensuring an instant return to the Championship for the Welsh club.
During his time as Manchester City Under-21s boss from 2021 to 2024, Barry-Murphy was aware of Cardiff's academy players coming through.
So when the head coach role became vacant following their relegation from the Championship last season, that fledgling talent made the Cardiff job an attractive proposition.
"I had been at [Manchester] City for three years, so I was aware of all of our best young talent, but I was also aware of all the young players of, say, [born in] 2002 right the way up to 2007/8," Barry-Murphy told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.
"So I knew all of the of the best talent, and I had a pretty strong idea that the players at Cardiff were as good as a lot of the best young talent in Europe.
"It just hadn't been seen really. It was something that maybe everybody on the outside wouldn't have been aware of, and if I could get that, combined with some senior pros who would really nurture them and help them overcome the inevitable obstacles that you're facing in the course of a League One season, it would give us a great chance of winning.
"I have a very passionate owner, but a very demanding owner, and I wasn't stupid enough to think, if I was talking about development and bringing all these young players through for five or six months, I'd have been gone by September."
- Cardiff’s priorities as they plan for Championship
- Wild scenes as promoted Cardiff savour Reading revelry
This has been an enjoyable season for Cardiff and their fans, a stark contrast to the bleak years which had preceded it.
While the team lurched from one relegation battle to another, there was unrest off the field as supporters protested against the club's owner Vincent Tan and the board.
But after being relegated to the third tier for the first time since 2003, the response under Barry-Murphy has been spectacular.
With the former Leicester City assistant coach at the helm, Cardiff have played expansive and exciting football on their way to securing promotion with three games to spare.
Dropping down to League One has proved invaluable for the Bluebirds' academy graduates, who have made the most of their increased first-team exposure which may not have materialised in the Championship.
Centre-back Dylan Lawlor, right-back Ronan Kpakio, midfielder Joel Colwill and forward Isaak Davies have all made their senior Wales debuts since breaking into the Cardiff side this season.
And Barry-Murphy believes he himself benefited from the Bluebirds' demotion to the third tier.
"I'm not naive enough to think if they had survived and stayed in the Championship, the opportunity for me to go in there probably wouldn't have happened," he said.
"But honestly, if I'd have got the opportunity to have this same group of players in the Championship, I would have played the same players that I knew were so good.
"But obviously, if you are in the league below, it gives them a chance to probably find their feet over a longer period because, in all likelihood, you won't lose as many games if they are as good as what I thought.
"So I think it just depends on how much you really believe in the players."
- Gabbidon praises ‘super talented’ Lawlor
- Kpakio’s rapid rise with Cardiff and Wales
Next for Barry-Murphy and his players is the challenge of stepping up to the Championship.
The former Rochdale boss has never managed in the second tier, while the younger members of the Bluebirds' squad have very limited experience at that level.
"I'm sure I'll be accused of being naive or a bit of a dreamer," Barry-Murphy added.
"One of the big things that brought me to Cardiff was my belief that the young players that we've spoken so much about throughout the course of the season could play at the very highest level.
"So I fully intend to honour that and if that doesn't work, or I'm wrong, then so be it, but clearly we'd have to improve the squad in certain areas, but always with quality over quantity."
He will, however, continue to give his developing players a chance.
"What I felt Cardiff were in previous years, there was always a really top-heavy squad in terms of numbers, and the players that have progressed so much this season just never got a chance to play, or if they did play before it was one or two games, and the minute they would lose a game, they would never be seen again," he added.
"So that's part of what attracted me to the club and because those players have given me such an incredible experience, but I have such belief in them, and I really believe they can do it next season.
"I'm clear how difficult the challenge is going to be but it's one we're up for."
- Latest Cardiff City news, analysis and fan views
