Nick Powell is starring again at Wigan Athletic – but what are the chances of a Premier League return with Spurs?
Nick Powell is just 24 years of age. And it would be very unfair to tar his reputation with a failure to replace the irreplaceable Paul Scholes at Manchester United.
Since his Old Trafford dream came to an end, Powell has been getting his career back on track with Wigan Athletic. After scoring 15 goals and producing eight assists to fire Wigan to the League One title, and the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, the one-time wonderkid is starting the show the sort of ability that persuaded Sir Alex Ferguson to take a punt on him six years ago.
And the common consensus is that it is only a matter of time before Powell is playing at the very top once again.
Steve Davis, who managed a teenage Powell at Crewe, believes he’s every bit as talented as Dele Alli – a comment Mauricio Pochettino should perhaps take note of.
“I would put him in the same bracket as Dele Alli. If he gets the chance to showcase his talent then there is no reason why he cannot be as good as that,” Davis told ITV in 2016.
“He still has the potential to play for a United or another top club. I said to him when I signed him: ‘You have the potential to play for England but you have to go and show that,’” Davis added in a new piece published by The Guardian.
It is no secret that Tottenham wanted to reinforce their attack with an exciting, homegrown talent this summer. James Maddison was heavily linked before the long and unsuccessful chase of Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish.
But there is no reason that Powell, over the next few months, cannot prove that he’s good enough for a second chance in the Premier League. Pochettino should keep an eye on his progress the division below to see just how accurate those Alli comparisons are.
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