OPINION
West Ham prospect Marcus Browne has excelled all season while on loan at Oxford United and that was no different when he featured against Rochdale on Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder scored twice in the U’s 4-2 win over Rochdale in League One and his performance was worthy of all the admiration that would come his way.
However Oxford United boss Karl Robinson delivered a blunt verdict on the youngster following Browne’s excellent display that will thankfully bring him back down to earth.
The U’s boss pointed out that the Hammers gem could have scored more than two on Tuesday and that if wants to get to the next level in football than it’s unacceptable to be sloppy in front of goal.
“Our performance wasn’t too dissimilar to the weekend,” said Robinson, as quoted by the Witney Gazette.
“But Marcus learnt that when you’ve got someone on their haunches, you put them to bed.
“He got a bit sloppy and should have had three or four goals.
“If he wants to get to the next level and fulfil his potential that can’t be acceptable for Marcus Browne.
“Even though we’re all drooling over his performance, there’s more to come and that’s how good he is.”
While the EFL boss was complimentary of the player’s potential by warning the league that he can still do more than he did in his Man of the Match worthy outing on Tuesday, Robinson’s remarks have no doubt kept Browne from getting above his station.
The 20-year-old is an exciting talent as he posses good creative vision and isn’t afraid to break out the party tricks that will have fans in awe at his every movement.
Yet clearly there is a reason why Browne has been loaned out to League One and not kept at the London Stadium by Manuel Pellegrini in order to use him for cover.
The attacking midfielder has only ever managed to make one appearance for the senior side and given his ability that’s quite surprising.
Given that Robinson highlighted that Browne can be quite sloppy and is capable of more than it’s clear he needs to learn and improve in order to be good enough to get first team opportunities at the Hammers.
The 20-year-old is clearly finding it easy in League One but needs to keep a level head in order to realise that he needs to learn from his experience as the Championship and Premier League are much less forgiving than the division he currently finds himself in.
If he lets the hype around his displays such as his latest one get to his head, then he might not pick up on valuable lessons.
Therefore the Hammers should be thankful that Robinson is making Browne aware that it’s one thing excelling for Oxford United but he has to fulfil more of his potential to progress.
