Football News: Where now for Powell

Nick Powell, when plucked from Crewe Alexandra for a fee of nearly £7m by then Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, was called a certainty to be a future England international by the fiery Scot.

That was the summer of 2012, when he was just 17 and coming off the back of a season that saw him lead Crewe to promotion into League One.

The following year was spent in United's youth and reserve teams, learning how to fit into the United way, but barely getting a look in with the first team.

A loan move to Wigan in the Championship was his chance to impress after a season where his chances were few and far between.

Powell grabbed the chance with both hands, making himself a regular for Wigan Athletic and even gaining himself some European experience with their foray into the Europa League.

So this season looked bright again for him, still only 20, coming off the back of scoring 13 goals, a move to newly promoted Leicester City must have seemed like the perfect opportunity to him.

It seemed to escape the notice of both United and Leicester, when the deal was set up, that Powell was exactly the type of player Foxes manager Nigel Pearson had said he didn't want.

Pearson had very publicly asserted that he didn't want big names or flair players like Powell, he wanted grafters to put a shift in and fight for every point.

Pearson wanted the Vardy's of this world, the hard running, non-stop ex-non-league striker, rather than a player who is calm and composed on the ball, rather than fast and furious.

So what next for the youngster, following this disastrous spell, which has seen him figure just twice for Leicester, and struggling to even make the matchday squad of 18 players.

Will he even have a future at Man United to look forward to, considering that his contract will only have one more year on it at the end of this season?

Written by Tris Burke December 05 2014 18:35:20