It appears to have been a frustrating season for Kyle Walker-Peters at Tottenham Hotspur.
When Kyle Walker-Peters put in a brilliant performance on the opening day of the season as Tottenham beat Newcastle 2-0, few fans would have predicted that he would reach this stage of the campaign having only played a further eight minutes in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old was man of the match at St James’ Park, but his prospects of regular first-team football took a hit soon after with Spurs completing a deal to sign Serge Aurier from Paris Saint-Germain in the final days of the summer transfer window.
The presence of Aurier and Kieran Trippier has meant that the right-back has only featured four times since the turn of the year, and all of those appearances have come in the FA Cup.
And perhaps Spurs’ latest cup tie should leave Walker-Peters thinking about his future heading into the summer transfer window as it appeared to represent the perfect opportunity for him to get a rare start under his belt.
With a Premier League game this weekend and the second-leg of their Champions League tie with Juventus ahead in the next seven days, starting Walker-Peters against Rochdale seemed the logical decision.
However, Mauricio Pochettino decided to put Trippier in and only bring Walker-Peters onto the pitch in the 82nd minute. He did manage to score a fine goal to round off the 6-1 win, but he would be forgiven for wondering why he was not given the chance to start the game – it is not as if it would have been a huge gamble given the performances he has already put in when given an opportunity.
With Spurs now facing a quarter-final with Swansea City, it is possible that he may not start that game unless there are significantly more important fixtures right around the corner.
Therefore, unless Spurs decide to cash in on one of their two first-choice right-backs, Walker-Peters should consider asking for a loan move away this summer so he can stake his claim elsewhere.
Tottenham may not want to lose him given that they are looking to compete on four fronts on a regular basis, but they must be aware that it cannot be the best move for his development to keep him and barely use him.
Spurs should be open to the idea of letting the starlet leave for a season, even if they include a recall clause that will enable them to bring him back at some stage. And after being left out of the starting lineup against Rochdale, Walker-Peters should arguably have little hesitation asking for a temporary exit if his game-time remains limited until the summer.
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