Will Lankshear ‘will never start again’ for West Brom after what Mowbray said
Will Lankshear has struggled to make an impact since joining West Brom on loan in January.
The Tottenham loanee was sent on loan to The Hawthorns to secure regular first-team football after making his Spurs debut in October.
However, he has featured seven times out of a possible ten for just 152 minutes under Tony Mowbray.
In the Baggies’ last five matches, he has played in just three, with just 25 minutes of action in that period.
Lankshear fails to impress at West Brom
Tottenham supporters were concerned when Lankshear was sent on loan, with many believing that he would not get regular football.
It seems that those fears were justified and Mowbray’s latest comments on the situation make grim reading for anybody associated with Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (4 April), he said: “Adam Armstrong gets picked because he’s proven, his record’s there over a long time. Will has to get to that level.
“He’s a different type of player, of course. He’s got better physicality, more physicality. The issue in my mind is that if I thought Will was the answer and he’d score the goals, then he would’ve been on the pitch.”
West Brom need Lankshear to step up
Lankshear would have hoped to be the starting number nine in the West Midlands with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike ruled out for lengthy spells but it has not worked out as he would have hoped.
However, Albion signed Armstrong on transfer deadline day, and the Spurs loanee has barely got a look in and has been reduced to a rotation option.
| Stats | Lankshear |
| Matches | 7 |
| Starts | 1 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Minutes played | 152 |
His prospects may not improve with Dike back available from the Achilles tendon injury that has seen him miss 52 matches for the Baggies across the past two seasons.
Mowbray’s side are clinging on to the playoffs with seven matches left to play, sitting just two points behind, and he may well decide that he needs attackers with Championship experience rather than an untested youngster.
The Americans’ physicality and aerial ability was missed as Mowbray kept him on the bench for the 1-0 loss to Norwich (29 March) and he may be the difference maker in terms of the Baggies achieving their aims and making the end-of-season showdown for a potential Premier League berth.
As a result, Lankshear may be deemed surplus to requirements and not feature much more in the final few weeks of the campaign, to the dismay of Postecoglou and Spurs supporters.