James Rowswell's latest Tottenham U21 showing suggests senior return can wait

James Rowswell is unlikely to be part of Tottenham's senior side anytime soon.

The 20-year-old made headlines in March when he came on for his debut in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

The academy starlet played one minute at Anfield as Igor Tudor's side held on for a point against the Reds.

However, he has not featured since Roberto De Zerbi took charge and is currently back with the Under-21 side.

He has made a total of 32 appearances for Wayne Burnett's young charges since his promotion in July 2024.

His latest display against Manchester City's academy side does little to suggest that he will be rushed back into the first-team fold in the near future.

How did James Rowswell perform in Tottenham U21 win against Manchester City?

Rowswell did not have his finest game as the young Spurs side beat the Citizens 4-2 on Saturday.

He recorded an 80 per cent pass accuracy and made five passes into final third, per Fotmob data.

His lack of attacking prowess in the contest was highlighted by the fact that he failed to complete the one cross that he attempted

Defensively, he made five contributions, with one tackle, one block and three clearances.

The most damning statistic from his performance was the fact that he won just two of six ground duels, for a success rate of 33 per cent.

Given those numbers, it looks like it will be very hard for him to work his way into De Zerbi's plans at the minute.

Why Rowswell faces a very tough task at Tottenham

Rowswell's task is made infinitely harder by the fact that his competition in the senior ranks is Pedro Porro and Archie Gray.

The former is a World Cup winner, and probably De Zerbi's best player at the moment.

Meanwhile, Gray is a swiss army knife, a player who has proved his versatility and can step in when Porro is injured.

Rowswell's display against City suggests that he is nowhere the level required, and it will be a while before he expands on his debut.

Given the situation that the Lilywhites are in right now, with zero wins from their first five Premier League matches, they can't afford to throw an underperforming youth player into the mix.

Rowswell needs to improve in the youth side, before his number is called again in the senior ranks.