Huddersfield Town chief Danny Cowley has not started Emile Smith Rowe against Preston North End because he believes the teenager is not yet physically capable of playing in rapid succession.
The nineteen-year-old moved to the city on loan from Arsenal in January and has so far been out 14 times in the league for the John Smith’s Stadium outfit.
Most of these were graciously granted for being nominated in the opening XI, but Smith Rowe had to settle for a place on the bench for yesterday’s goalless draw against Alex Neil’s Preston.
He came in the 56th minute, replacing Alex Pritchard.
And after the game, the city chief Cowley admitted that although he would have liked to have started the young director, he believes that Smith Rowe is not yet physically able to play games in rapid succession.
He indicated Town by playing three games in the second tier in just six days – having lost 3-1 at City Ground in Nottingham Forest and beating Birmingham City 3-0 at St Andrew’s.
Cowley explained: “Obviously we weren’t able to start Emile, which we all want to do, we know we are a better team with Ems.
“But he is a boy and when you need him, it is a fundamental part of what we are trying to do between today and the end of the season in an attempt to reach the points that we must and cannot break and he is not physically ready to be able to play in a short time, so that’s what it is.
“It’s a good point, it’s another clean sheet, and it’s now two unbeaten, so it’s four points from two games and you also have to remember that we’ve played three games in six days.
“It is quite difficult to play three games in seven days in the league, so three in six days is incredibly difficult.
“Let me tell you, at the Championship level the amount of energy and intensity players have to play, makes a big difference.”
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