Tariq Uwakwe will be given the opportunity to impress Ian Holloway having previously not been in the plans at Swindon Town.

The former Chelsea youngster joined Swindon last summer and showed early promise under Michael Flynn before suffering a series of injuries that kept him out of action between mid-October and the end of the season.

After recovering his fitness, Mark Kennedy decided that he would not be in his plans for this season, giving him the ability to train but not with the main first-team squad and he hasn’t featured in any pre-season friendlies or competitive matches this campaign.

Uwakwe eventually secured a loan to National League outfit Maidenhead United in September but failed to make much of an impact during his month in Berkshire, playing six league minutes against Ebbsfleet United and starting a National League Cup match against Fulham Under-21s.

The defender returned to Town last month as the club weighed up how to proceed with him as he was only eligible to play for one more club this season having featured for The Magpies.

Holloway said that he was planning to give Uwakwe the chance to get into his plans but that would not be in a competitive match to keep their options open.

He said: “It is a really awkward one because if he plays one game for us then he can’t go out on loan to anyone else, so I am going to play him against Bristol Rovers in the friendly next week.

“I want to give him a chance to play for me and see where we are and it is as simple as that – he knows that because I have told him that already.

“He won’t be involved [against Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s] but he has that chance the week after.

“He has the chance to show me what he can do and if he does better than all of the other ones that I have seen then I might have to keep him and if not then I might have to try and get him out on loan if I can.

“If he gets one chance to prove it to me then he is going to have to be absolutely brilliant. Is that a big ask? It might be, I don't know yet.

“He has spoken to me about what happened and he is a lovely lad, really enthusiastic, and I will give him a chance for him to show me what he can do.”