Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has lashed out at National League side Woking over the loan of youngster Charlie O’Connell.
Ferguson, whose Posh side are currently fourth in League One, is unhappy with the minutes his young player has got with The Cards. O’Connell joined at the beginning of October, but has only appeared in three games, all as a substitute.
Even worse, two of those outings were only for a couple of minutes each. He got 20 minutes off the bench during the 2-0 defeat at home to Southend on October 7, which was also his debut. He clearly didn’t impress, as he has since appeared for a minute or two as a last-gasp sub in the FA Cup double-header against Hemel Hempstead.
Since then, he’s been left out of the squad completely on a couple of occasions, as well as being an unused sub.
O’Connell was at Woking last season and got plenty of game time, with Darren Sarll eager to take him back to Kingfield Road this autumn. The loan isn’t panning out how Ferguson imagined, and he told the Peterborough Telegraph he was not happy with the situation.
“I’ve had Charlie O’Connell out on loan, and he’s gone to a team that wanted him, and they don’t even put him in the squad,” said the four-time Posh boss. “It’s a waste of time for Charlie.”
The situation has even caused Ferguson to evaluate a possible loan spell for Emmanuel Fernandez, whom he has opted against sending out on a similar loan.
“We believe he’s better with us,” Ferguson said of Fernandez, adding, “There’s been the whole Charlie situation.” That suggests his thinking around young players has shifted over the last couple of weeks, given O’Connell’s lack of game time.
Defender O’Connell has appeared once for Posh and is currently on his second with Woking, having previously appeared 13 times for them. His short-term loan is due to expire this week, and it seems unlikely he will be returning to Surrey.
Writer’s View
Whilst Ferguson is within his rights to speak out about the loan, it does feel a little hypocritical, as they have Jadel Katongo on loan from Manchester City, who has only started two matches for them in League One, albeit partly due to injuries. One would imagine that Ferguson understands sometimes, loan players are not guaranteed a start.
However, it does feel like a waste of time for the player, whether that should be said by the manager or not. A young player with 13 National League matches last season may well have hoped for a step up into League Two this campaign rather than the same loan all over again. If he was there and playing last season and is there and not playing now, that’s a big step back.
Once he returns to London Road, there could be an opportunity in their EFL Trophy squad, where Fernandez has made an appearance, and that may be of benefit until December when the possibility of a League Two loan could emerge.
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