IF Owen Coyle achieves nothing else this summer, the queues for the treatment rooms at Euxton should be considerably shorter than they were when he took charge 18 months ago.

After inheriting a squad littered with long-term absentes and stunted by niggling injuries, there now seems a clear edict from the Wanderers boss as he assesses the new blood he wants to add to his ranks next season.

When the going gets tough – as it did during Wanderers’ dip in form at New Year and post-FA Cup semi-final defeat against Stoke City – then Coyle wants players who are fit, ready and able to step into the breach.

As with the majority of his signings thus far, the mainstay of the manager’s targets will be younger players able to improve themselves under his tutelage.

Middlesbrough defender Rhys Williams and Swansea midfielder Darren Pratley both fall into that bracket, as do Daniel Sturridge and Rodrigo, who could both be set for second spells at the club after showing remarkable improvement last season.

Coyle became frustrated when unavoidable injuries to the likes of Stuart Holden, Sam Ricketts and Zat Knight impacted so heavily on his side’s fortunes, simply because fringe players were injured or too rusty for selection.

The same ground rules have been laid down to players who suffered persistent problems too, with Ivan Klasnic, Gretar Steinsson and Mark Davies expected to play a much greater part in first-team affairs next term after being granted time and treatment to solve their various ailments.

Andy O’Brien, Jlloyd Samuel, Joey O’Brien and Tamir Cohen were released on the strength of their fitness issues, while Sean Davis and Ricardo Gardner both dine at the last chance saloon after spending virtually the whole of the last campaign watching from the sidelines.

With that in mind, wonder then, why a player with such a chequered injury history as Manchester United defender Wes Brown should be mentioned in some quarters as a potential target?

In short, neither Brown nor any of the other players on their way out of Old Trafford are Reebok-bound – not on the grounds of quality, but more on cost-effectiveness.

Coyle is intent on creating a leaner, meaner fighting machine that can sustain a top-10 position next season and avoid the kind of slump that left a bad taste in Wanderers supporters’ mouths heading into the summer break.