Nathan Lowe 'mature beyond years' as he makes big Stoke City step
Nathan Lowe is returning to the Stoke City squad full of confidence and asking his manager all the right questions as he tries to make his mark.
The 19-year-old has been recalled to Clayton Wood after an 18-goal loan spell at Walsall, as Tom Cannon heads back to Leicester amid big money interest from the Championship promotion pack.
He will go straight into the squad for this afternoon’s clash at West Bromwich Albion (3pm) and Robins is looking forward to seeing him continue to develop.
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“It’s two steps up but he’s a young player who’s full of confidence,” said Robins. “He’s our player, it’s not like we’ve brought in a player from League Two. He’s been with the club since he was nine years old and he’s a really, really intelligent young man – as is Tommy Simkin. I’ve spoken with him last week as well and they have a maturity beyond their years. They’re really inquisitive, ask intelligent questions, want to learn.
“I’m excited to work with young players, with players in general but young players especially. You don’t know what they’re going to be but they can be anything, anything they want.
“We’ve got to be careful because we put all our restrictions, hopes, fears and everything onto young shoulders when really all you’ve got to do is guide them and see where they go. That’s my aim with any player really. Some come with, we call it baggage but it’s life experience – some positive, some negative and you have to try to use that to your advantage, wherever you are in life but certainly in football and sport. Opportunity knocks for somebody else.”
Niall Ennis and Emre Tezgel were used from the bench in last week’s FA Cup win at Sunderland while Lewis Koumas, on loan from Liverpool, has been playing on the wing lately – although made a big impression in a central role in the reverse game against West Brom earlier this season.
Robins said on Koumas: “He’s a forward, a striker isn’t he? A central player who is playing off the wing. With any player who’s playing in the front positions they have to add goals and assists and some point but we’ve got a young squad that we know is trying to find their feet in a really tough division in a tough environment. I feel for them a little bit but they’re resilient, people are resilient, players are resilient and they’ve been good. This week’s training has been really interesting, yesterday’s training was probably the best I’ve seen from the group in the short time we’ve been here and you can see signs they’re taking things on board and getting confidence. There’s a bit more life around the place and that’s important.
“We’re looking forward to this game, it’s a tough place to go, the Hawthorns. They’re managerless at the moment but it looks like they’ve got someone going in during the next 24 hours or so. I expect them to be at the stadium tomorrow.
“Chris Brunt will take the team. He’s been there for a while and spent time with Carlos Corberan and has taken on the team and done pretty well. They look not too dissimilar from what they were before. There are some really experienced players in that group, they’re operating at the top end of the division and have been for a couple of seasons now.
“It’s no mean feat to go there and get something but we’ll aim to do that. We’ve sold out the away end, which is brilliant to hear, and we’re looking forward to going there and trying to put in a performance that they will be proud about.”
Koumas is one of three remaining loans at Stoke, along with fellow starting XI regulars Ashley Phillips (Tottenham) and Andrew Moran (Brighton).
Robins, when asked if there was a chance they might be recalled this month, said: “I’m hoping they will be with us for the rest of the season. You’re at the mercy of (other clubs) when you take people on loan but I don’t see any reason to change for them at this moment in time. I think it’s slightly different than Tom’s situation at Leicester City.”
Stoke might also take the opportunity to send out some of their younger players to gain experience in the second half of the season.
Robins said: “In an ideal world, in which we don’t live, we’d look to get them some game time with clubs, maybe. But we’ve got to look first and foremost that we have players available for us and to us versus what we are hoping to do in this January window on an incoming basis.”
