Stoke City confirm Nathan Lowe recall decision
Stoke City have triggered a recall clause to bring back Nathan Lowe from a superb loan at Walsall.
The 19-year-old striker scored again at the weekend to take his tally for the season to 18 in 30 appearances and he will now return to Clayton Wood to join Mark Robins' senior squad ahead of next week's Championship trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Lowe, who signed a four-and-a-half year contract at Stoke last year, had been back to train for a day with new manager Robins last week but would have been cup-tied for Stoke's extra-time FA Cup victory at Sunderland. He returned to star in a 5-1 hammering of Tranmere Rovers which puts Walsall 12 points clear at the top of League Two.
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He was named EFL young player of the month in October and League Two player of the month in December.
Robins said last week: “He’s a young player and young players have to be given time. In time he will be a really good player and what he’s doing at the moment is giving himself every chance. He’s put himself in the shop window and made people sit up and take notice of him.
“He will end up with 20-plus goals this season if he remains at Walsall – we haven’t made that decision yet – and I also know it is doing him the world of good. Mat Sadler is desperate to keep him and I’m not in the market to upset people – but what matters to me is Stoke City and the individual.
“My first priority will be to assess whether it is right to bring him back at this stage and have him involved – not knowing 100 per cent what the impact will be but sometimes your hands are tied and you’re forced because of circumstances.
“He is certainly scoring goals at League Two level and when we spoke the other day I said the goals don’t move. If you’re hungry and you can get into good positions where the ball is going to find you… and we have to make sure we can do that and our team moves and evolves into a state when we can start to create chances on a regular basis that gives forwards the opportunities to stick the ball in the back of the net. In which case, we’ve got good players and players who can score.”
Tom Cannon, on loan from Leicester, has led the line for Stoke this season and scored his 11th goal of the season in the win at Sunderland. Niall Ennis and Emre Tezgel, Lowe's long-time academy teammate, both made an impact from the bench but Sam Gallagher is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
