The head coach of Asokwa Deportivo, Stephen Frimpong Manso, says he chose to handle the Kumasi-based Division One side because of their commitment to youth development which was in line with his philosophy as a coach.

The former Asante Kotoko coach said he opted to join the second-tier side six months ago because of their grassroots development policy and clear strategy to achieve those goals and was confident that there were many young talents at the club who had the potential to become top stars in the coming years.

Frimpong Manso, one-time Kotoko captain and Black Stars defender, told the Daily Graphic that Deportivo would be more focused on their youth development policy than pursue an inordinate ambition to qualify for the Ghana Premier League at all cost.

“Deportivo has been placing much emphasis on unearthing and developing the football potential of the youth over the period. Their main interest is to offer the youth a platform to develop their talents and this is what I am committed to achieving. It, perhaps, explains why the club hasn't qualified for the Premier League yet despite having many young talents". He hinted

The coach, who was instrumental in lifting the defunct Kessben FC from the lower division into Ghana's top flight, said his aim at the club was to further develop grassroots football in Kumasi and its environs and was happy working at the lower division despite the lure of topflight football.

"The team is development-oriented and premium is placed on youth football while other things are secondary. This is the philosophy of the founder, so it reduces pressure on the players as they compete in the Division One League,” he explained.

He said that despite their focus on grassroots football, Deportivo still had plans to fight for promotion from the Division One League to the Premier League.

"We will now place value to gaining promotion to play in the Premier League, so we will try to combine the development philosophy of the founder and also strive to qualify for the Premier League". He noted

The coach said so far he was enjoying working with youthful players to help them realise their dreams.

“I am happy to be part of the transformation process of the team at this stage. I enjoy working with the youth to develop their talents and because the joy is to see players who passed through your hands becoming future stars at locally and international levels. When you see your players playing for big teams in Ghana and elsewhere, you become fulfilled as a coach,” he explained.

“Coaching Deportivo is exciting because we are able to evaluate the development of our players and their output, especially when they get the platform to exhibit their potentials with Premier League Clubs, such as Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak , AshantiGold and Medeama, among others, in competitive matches."