Steve says Uche would have gained a great deal from past season.

Steve Davis says young forward Uche Ikpeazu would only have benefited from the experience of last season.

Ikpeazu, 20, enjoyed two spells on loan at Crewe Alexandra last season but he didn’t hit the heights of his first loan after returning from a loan spell at our League One rivals Doncaster Rovers. He made nine appearances but started only four of those games.

Steve told the club’s official web-site: “I am sure Uche enjoyed his time with us and he would have learned a great deal from what he went through last season.

“It would have been a great experience for him because he will know that he has to be at the right club. He has to be in the right environment and play.

“Uche will be the first to admit that he didn’t come back the same player when he came back. Some of that confidence had gone and he needed time to get that back. He wasn’t his same bubbly self. There were signs of that coming back towards the end of the season but it came just a bit too late for him.

Steve added: “He found it difficult to establish himself at Doncaster and that affected him when we came back here, but he will learn from that.”