OPINION
It already made sense for Tottenham right back Kyle Walker-Peters to spend some time away from the club on loan come January, but his shocking performance against Barcelona on Tuesday night made it a necessity.
The 21-year-old looked out of his depth from the start against the Spanish giants, and while that’s understandable, it highlighted that a consistent run of first team football is needed to aid his development.
He was largely coming in cold against Ernesto Valverde’s side so it’s no surprise that he struggled somewhat at the Nou Camp, which made plain that he’s not going to get anywhere playing the odd game every few months for Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino needs to take a long term view with the player’s development and send him out to a top Championship side come the New Year.
A whole host of teams near the top end of the table could do with the Englishman, with West Bromwich Albion just one example.
He needs to be playing week in week out if he’s going to become the full back that Pochettino clearly thinks he can become. If the manager didn’t have faith in him then he wouldn’t have thrown him in against Barca, even though his hand was forced by the absence of Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier.
While those players’ struggles tell their own story, they shouldn’t prevent Walker-Peters from getting the first team football he needs.
Trippier and/or Aurier will come good eventually, and if there comes another time when both players are sidelined at the same time then utility man Eric Dier can fill in on the right hand side of the defence.
Walker-Peters isn’t ready to be a first team regular for Spurs, Tuesday made that very clear, but nor is he going to get any closer to that goal by sitting on the bench every week.
He needs first team football and a loan to the top end of the Championship can give him that. He would likely be a surefire starter while having to come to grips with a high standard of football. It’s necessary, and Tottenham should do what’s right for the player come January.