Scott Parker encouraged by James Ward-Prowse's full Burnley debut despite cup exit
James Ward-Prowse making his full debut and getting some invaluable minutes under his belt will stand him in good stead – despite being involved in Burnley’s cup humbling.
That’s the verdict of Clarets boss Scott Parker, who felt the midfielder was still able to show his quality despite Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Mansfield Town.
The 31-year-old played the full 90 minutes during regular time before being replaced by Lucas Pires in stoppage-time.
He showed his quality on the ball, especially during the first-half, but his influence on the game dampened as time wore on and as the Stags produced their remarkable comeback.
Nevertheless, Parker was encouraged by what he witnessed from the West Ham loanee.
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“I thought he did well,” he said.
"It was obviously a tough game at times, but I thought James showed his quality today.
"Obviously he’s not had a lot of minutes, so you could see that back end of the game a little bit with him.
"But, for large parts, I thought he did very well in a difficult game, certainly the way the game started to go as well towards the back end.
“So overall, I'm pleased for him that he's got minutes. I'm disappointed that he's on the losing end of it, but he’ll be better for that today.”
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