The Tottenham talent has been unable to push on this year, while his academy teammate has overtaken him as Poch’s go-to graduate.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Josh Onomah’s 2016/17 season has been a frustrating one, as the talented teenager tried to build on an impressive campaign last year.
The England Under-20 midfielder looked to be the next talent off the production line at White Hart Lane, as he enjoyed a breakthrough season in Tottenham’s second year under Pochettino – a year in which they challenged for the Premier League title.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino with Tottenham’s Josh Onomah
Onomah made 23 appearances last season, earning 868 minutes in the process. The majority of those appearances were from the bench, and he only gathered 75 minutes of Premier League action, but it was clear the youngster had a place in Pochettino’s squad.
This year, Onomah’s progress has been both eclipsed by Harry Winks’ achievements, and perhaps even inhibited somewhat by it. With outfield options on the bench limited, Pochettino needs to have players he can rely on to have a positive impression on games, and Winks has done that consistently over the last few months. The 20-year-old has 22 matches under his belt, including a strike against West Ham on his first league start, and is already at 823 minutes of action, with a significant Premier League impact – 15 appearances, which includes 2 starts and 323 minutes in total.
Tottenham’s Harry Winks in action with Monaco’s Fabinho (R) and Thomas Lemar
We are already significantly into the second part of the season and Onomah has made just nine appearances, with 208 minutes of action. Things were looking up when he scored his first Spurs goal back in September during an emphatic League Cup win over Gillingham, but a disappointing performance a month later as they crashed out of that competition to Liverpool would have perhaps underlined that he wasn’t ready for the first team. Crucially, as a more attacking midfielder than Winks, Onomah also had to battle for a spot against multi-million pound French arrivals Moussa Sissoko and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.
Tottenham’s Josh Onomah celebrates scoring
And it’s a battle he appears to be struggling with, as he hasn’t been in the matchday 18 in any of the last six league games.
Given Onomah’s age – he isn’t 20 until April – there is of course every reason to think he can still make an impression at Tottenham. However, when you look at the performances of both Winks, and the club’s premier player of that age – Dele Alli – you can see the sort of level Onomah needs to aim for. He has still earned match time this season and is likely to feature against Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend, and during the club’s Europa League matches, but the lesson for the Enfield-born attacking midfielder will be make the most of your chances, starting with this Saturday.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
