OPINION
Tottenham defender Kyle Walker-Peters was reportedly lined up for a loan move in the January transfer window and manager Mauricio Pochettino made a huge mistake by keeping him at the club.
The Sun reported that Premier League outfit Southampton were lining up a last-minute swoop for the 20-year-old, but he remained at the North London club after the close of the window.
Spurs have an extremely competitive squad and keeping the England Under-21 international was not the best step for his development.
The right-back is currently behind Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier in the pecking order, despite being very highly rated by the manager.
He may have missed out on the opportunity to play for a Premier League rival and that experience would have helped him massively, with the loan system proving very effective at times in the past.
Walker-Peters has made just two appearances since the close of the window and both were late cameos as a substitute in the FA Cup, but he still managed to impress with a late goal in the 6-1 win over Rochdale.
The defender looks like he could be next off the production line to break into the first team in the future, but right now his path is blocked by two senior players.
He may have to shine elsewhere before making the desired impact and a loan exit is definitely something that should be considered ahead of next season.