Stoke City boss Michael O’Neill has suggested that he could recall Connor Taylor from his loan spell at Bristol Rovers next month.
Taylor, 20, is currently out on loan at Bristol Rovers in League Two. The Englishman made his Championship debut for the Potters last season and has featured 18 times in League Two this time round, scoring once.
He’s become a key player for Joey Barton’s side. Taylor though is currently sidelined with a calf injury but the extent of the injury is not yet known.
But Stoke City could well recall Taylor from Bristol Rovers next month – O’Neill is weighing up what is best for the Stoke City players currently out on loan, and he had this to say on Taylor:
“Connor has played a lot of football. He’s injured at the minute but he’s played the most of the players who are out on loan and we’ll just monitor those situations.
“Ideally if you are bringing them back, you’re bringing them back because they will affect the team and get minutes. We have to weigh that up against their development and leaving them where they are at this minute as well.”
Taylor’s future at Bristol Rovers then seems to be up in the air – it seems unlikely that O’Neill would recall him with a view to playing him in the Championship, given his urrent injury and the fact that Stoke have plenty of options at centre-back.
But O’Neill could well see Taylor’s recovery from injury best spent at his parent club. It’d no doubt be a blow for Barton and his Bristol Rovers side who are struggling in League Two as it stands, sitting in 17th-place of the table despite an improve run of form of late.
Either way, Taylor has gained some quality experience this season and he looks to be a real prospect for the Potters, who return to Championship action against Derby County later this month.
