“Developing young players and young talent is part of the DNA of this football club,” he said in his pre-match press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “At Palace you had a couple of young players who came through and made a good career for themselves in the Premier League.
“We were successful on that side last year because we identify some young players and create a platform for them to express themselves. I believe this year it will be even more difficult, because we raise the level of demand on the players.
“Of course, having those players with us on tour will tell us whether they will be ready to take some part this season. If not, we will need to be ready to give them the game programme they need to play week after week and keep improving themselves.”
There are plenty of Palace fans out in Australia, and the Eagles trained in front of thousands at the MCG on Monday. But Vieira hopes his side will create a swathe of new supporters too.