Leyton Orient are at risk of wasting Everton transfer opportunity: View | OneFootball

Lewis Warrington has struggled for game time at Orient following his summer move from Everton.

Leyton Orient raised some eyebrows during the summer transfer window with the shrewd acquisition of midfielder Lewis Warrington following his release from Everton.

However, the 23-year-old has been restricted to just four League One appearances, and only one of them as a starter.

He has found more luck in cup competitions, starting all three of Orient's Carabao Cup games, and he played a full 90 minutes against Colchester United in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

Some of Orient's best performances have come with Warrington in the side, particularly the 1-0 win away at Millwall in August in which he also played the full match.

Warrington had spent 15 years in the Everton academy, amassing a plethora of PL2 appearances as well as a varying degree of success on domestic loans throughout the Football League.

Warrington impressed for Fleetwood

During his spell at Fleetwood, where he played the most regularly so far throughout his career, he displayed his quality by averaging over 37 accurate passes per 90 with a 79% pass completion rate - statistics which would also have him as the fourth highest for accurate passes in the O's squad this season (as per FootyStats and FotMob). This helped lead Fleetwood to a respectable 13th-place finish, stability that the O's are crying out for at the moment.

Warrington also managed to average an impressive almost four accurate long balls per 90, a skill which could definitely come in handy for an Orient side that are crying out for a Plan B against the more physical sides in the division.

Warrington has shown his ability in League One, which has made his exclusion from the side even more puzzling to many - not utilising a player that has already shown his quality at this level while the O's are going through a tough run of form leaves many critical of manager Richie Wellens.

Warrington signed to learn under manager Wellens

Upon leaving Everton after a single appearance and signing with Orient in July, Warrington stated during a club interview: "As soon as I heard that Orient were interested, I wanted to get down here and sign.

"My decision was made easy after I met the gaffer and, although there was other interest, I only ever wanted to come here after speaking to him.

"He (Wellens) was a midfielder himself, so I’m looking forward to learning from him. It feels like this club is on an upward trajectory, and I’m really excited to be part of it."

This initial excitement from the midfielder makes the lack of inclusion this season even more puzzling, especially when he has been absent from the matchday squad on multiple occasions when the O's have struggled - and his only start this season coming in a home defeat to Exeter City where he was substituted at half-time. The games that Warrington has missed entirely, barring a 1-0 win at Reading, have all been defeats - including a 3-0 defeat at Shrewsbury which gave the Shropshire outfit their first win of the season.

Given the O's poor start to the season, which finds them 19th in the table and winless in their last five games, it would be surprising to see Wellens not give players such as Warrington a chance to change the fortunes of the side. Warrington's defensive abilities, beyond those steady passing statistics, would help shore up an Orient defence that has kept only two clean sheets in all competitions.

Change in fortunes for Orient and Warrington

Warrington would have been given a real opportunity to impress in training, with Ethan Galbraith receiving a call-up for Northern Ireland as well as an injury suffered to Sean Clare at Lincoln City.

Add this to the inevitable retirement for veteran Darren Pratley at the end of the season - who was expected to depart at the end of last season - and there's a world where Warrington can stake a place in the side for years to come, given his age and experience.

In the short-term, it remains to be seen whether Warrington will get a run of games in the side, but with the January window approaching, he will want to find his place in the squad rather than being forced to look elsewhere so soon after settling in East London.