Spurs loan watch: Point on the road for youngster's side

On Saturday afternoon, Notts County and George Abbott were back in League Two action, having successfully navigated the first round of the FA Cup proper with a convincing win at home to Alfreton Town of the National League North, despite conceding the first goal of the game.

On the agenda today was the hour trip to South Yorkshire as they faced Doncaster Rovers on the road. Heading into the game, Notts were sitting in third place, with their hosts just one spot below in fourth.

Having recently played as a right-wing back, Abbott was back in action in central midfield, with former Tottenham Hotspur academy player Nick Tsaroulla playing as the right wing-back for this game.

Notts took the lead after 13 minutes of the game through Alassana Jatta, who a few weeks ago had scored to give Abbott his first ever career assist. They would keep the lead for an hour, before Joe Ironside equalised for the hosts, with that being the final goal of the game – and both sides having to settle for a share of the spoils, in a result that most associated with both teams will be reasonably happy with. Certainly felt like a must not lose game rather than a must win.

As for Abbott himself, it was another strong performance. The teenager recorded; 74 touches, 45/51 completed passes, 3 out of 4 accurate long balls, one shot on target, three shots blocked, 1/1 dribble attempts, 5/7 ground duels won, two clearances, three interceptions, and four tackles.

This result leaves things as they were, with Notts in third, and Doncaster in fourth - with 27 points from 15 games for the Magpies so far.

The truth is, Abbott could play at a level higher than League Two, and there was even talk as early as September that Spurs were going to reassess the situation in January, with the player making quicker progress than most people expected in his time at Notts so far.

However, it would be careless to loan him to League One for the sake of it. For example, Abbott is having a better time out on loan than Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley at Leyton Orient so far. He gets a lot more game time, and he wins a lot more games. If all three players stay at their loan clubs until the end of the season, there is little doubt at who will becoming back to Hotspur Way in the summer the most improved.

If the club can find a let’s say, League One move at a good team, who generally at least win more games than they lose, then great. However, if not, there really is no point, and considering you can’t guarantee that, it would feel unwise to not let him play the season out at Notts. He is also 19, not 21, or 22 – there is no immediate rush. He could easily complete a season in League Two, and then have a loan at a higher level.