Rotherham United: Steve Evans reveals Stoke City stance on loaning Nathan Lowe out | OneFootball

Evans has revealed that Stoke have knocked back the Millers' approach for Lowe's services

Rotherham United boss Steve Evans has revealed that Stoke City have rejected the Millers' approach to sign young striker Nathan Lowe on loan this month after he was recalled by the Potters from an impressive loan spell at Walsall last week.

Lowe joined Walsall on loan in the summer window and proved himself as one of the best players in League Two with the Saddlers, which led Stoke to exercise their option to recall him to their own squad last week.

Talk of the 19-year-old completing another loan move to a League One side has been rife since he returned to the Potteries, but it looks as if the Potters are not planning on letting Lowe leave again this season, following star striker Tom Cannon's own recall back to Leicester City.

Rotherham are in the market for a forward this month to improve their own scoring fortunes, as Evans' side are currently sat 13th in the third tier, with just 24 goals scored as a team in 24 league outings so far.

Despite their efforts to bring Lowe in this month, the Millers boss' recent admission means it seems unlikely that he will leave Stoke at all in the coming weeks, and he will definitely not be making the move to the New York Stadium.

Steve Evans reveals Rotherham's failed Nathan Lowe approach

Lowe's Walsall exploits included winning the EFL Young Player of the Month award in October, picking up the EFL League Two Player of the Month award for December, and registering a total of 18 goals and seven assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Stoke likely decided to recall him last week in anticipation of Tom Cannon being set to return to Leicester, and now the Foxes' decision has been confirmed, it would be a surprise to see the 19-year-old leave ST4 this month.

Speaking to the Rotherham Advertiser, Millers boss Evans recently revealed that they had approached Stoke over a potential loan deal for Lowe, but had been swiftly knocked back, with the Potters reluctant to let him depart.

He said: “We enquired about Nathan.

“I saw him three times earlier in the season and I liked him.

"But Stoke have said that he's not coming out. That's where that is.”

Stoke

The Potters surprised many fans across the EFL when it was announced that they had decided to recall Lowe from his brilliant spell at the League Two leaders with immediate effect, but developments since their decision mean that they have likely decided that they cannot let him leave anytime soon.

While he has been a real hit in the fourth tier and probably the best player in that league up to now, the jump up to the Championship is a big one, and speculation has been rife that the Potters could look to send him to a League One side for the second half of the campaign to continue his development out on loan.

Stoke, however, are now seriously short on striker options after Cannon was recalled back to the East Midlands, with Sam Gallagher struggling to stay match-fit, as well as the likes of Niall Ennis and Emre Tezgel both not performing well enough to earn regular league minutes.

Gallagher, who joined from Blackburn Rovers in the summer window, has only managed to feature nine times in the Championship this term, with only three starts so far, while Ennis has been out-of-favour and recently linked with his own exit to the third tier, and 19-year-old Tezgel's progress has slowed down this season with just five substitute appearances from the club's last 18 games.

It is impossible to know whether Lowe is ready for another crack at the Championship after he was a squad player for the Potters last season, but it seems like Stoke have admitted that it is an absolute no-brainer to at least give him a go this term rather than loan him back out.

Football League World exclusively revealed that Huddersfield Town had shown an interest in signing him at the start of the January window, while both Barnsley and Wrexham are also in the market for strikers this month to help their own League One promotion pushes.

Stoke, however, will surely not sanction an exit for the 19-year-old in January now, and Evans' quotes make it seem even more unlikely that he will leave anytime soon.