Neil Critchley explains why Matty Virtue was left out of Blackpool's squad for Blackburn Rovers draw

The midfielder was surprisingly absent from Blackpool’s squad on Saturday for the 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers.

After making his return from a 13-month absence off the bench against Preston in midweek, many expected the 24-year-old to feature at Ewood Park.

But Critchley explained Virtue will be better served starting in Merseyside on Monday, when the Seasiders take on his former side in the semi-final of the Lancashire Senior Cup.

“Matty is fine,” Critchley told The Gazette.

“We’ve got a game on Monday so I spoke to him on Friday about what he needs now being guaranteed minutes.

“Coming to Blackburn, I didn’t know how the game would go so I couldn’t guarantee him he would get off the bench.

“Whereas on Monday I know he can play from the start and we can manage his minutes during that game.

“If he had started on the bench and got 20 minutes or half an hour then he might not get 60, 70 or maybe 90 minutes on Monday.

“At the moment, he needs minutes, match fitness and game time.”

Monday’s game at Liverpool’s Academy training ground, which kicks off at 2pm, will be a good chance for a number of fringe players to get some vital minutes.

The likes of Stuart Moore, Reece James, Oliver Casey, Ethan Robson, Owen Dale and Jake Beesley could also feature as Pool aim to reach the final of the competition.

“The group will be in on Sunday and some of the players will play on Monday and that’s important,” Critchley said.

“We’ve got six games to go and we want to have a right good go to be who we are until the end of the season.

“Everyone is going to be needed. We’ve got a competitive squad, a strong squad when you look at the players coming off the bench on Saturday so those other players need to be ready.”