Doncaster Rovers evidence shows Notts County recruitment team have done it again | OneFootball

George Abbott's impressive performance in Notts' draw at Doncaster shows the recruitment team have found another gem.

Key Takeaways

Tottenham Hotspur loanee George Abbott produced a superb performance in Notts County’s 1-1 draw away at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

Stuart Maynard’s side are stretched badly by injuries at the minute, but left the Eco-Power Stadium with a point thanks to a solid defensive display. They remain the only side in the entire EFL with an unbeaten away record in 2024/25, but face tricky tests coming up on the road in the form of Crewe Alexandra and Walsall.

Not for the first time this season, Abbott was particularly impressive on Saturday, providing crucial energy in the middle of the park for the Magpies. He’s tipped for big things at Spurs and has adapted extremely well to senior football so far in his time at Meadow Lane.

The 19-year-old was outstanding on his first senior start against Accrington back in September, prompting Stuart Maynard to admit Notts are “very lucky to have him.”

Abbott has only kicked on from there and the youngster is rapidly becoming an integral element of this Notts side.

Abbott was superb against Doncaster

Abbott’s energy was a driving factor behind Notts leaving South Yorkshire with their unbeaten away record intact on Saturday.

He covered ground all over the pitch and his intensity didn’t drop going into the latter stages, something which was particularly important given Notts were coming under fire from their hosts and had few options to change the game from the bench.

This is something Magpies fans have already become accustomed to from the youngster. Since his debut in the win at Swindon on August 31st, Abbott has missed just one game across League Two and the FA Cup.

He’s already proven himself to be capable of playing week in and out, and his fitness hasn’t deteriorated as games have worn on – Abbott has completed 90 minutes in nine of his 11 starts for Notts in all competitions (he also played 86 minutes in the draw at Chesterfield).

However, he’s proven himself to be much more than just an engine.

Abbott used the ball very effectively during Saturday’s draw. He completed 86% of his passes and played the second-highest number of accurate passes among the midfielders – only Matty Palmer played more.

He was also impressive without the ball against Doncaster, winning the joint-highest number of tackles of anyone on the pitch. Abbott won five of his eight duels and completed nine defensive actions, a total only bettered by Matty Platt and Lewis Macari.

The youngster played a part in Notts’ goal, playing a neat one-two in the middle of the park, before Palmer switched the ball out to the left wing.

He even came close to his first senior goal midway through the second half, when his curling effort forced a strong save from Doncaster ‘keeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe. It almost provided Notts with a crucial second goal which potentially would’ve secured all three points, but Joe Ironside netted the equaliser just a minute later.

Abbott has a big future ahead of him

All in all, Abbott’s loan spell at Meadow Lane has been a huge success so far. His signing didn’t get much attention either from Notts fans or around League Two in general, potentially because it was a loan deal near the deadline, but he’s become a mainstay in Notts’ team.

His contributions have been immensely important to Notts’ strong start to the season, especially considering their midfield has been ravaged by injuries so far. Scott Robertson, Curtis Edwards, Conor Grant and Dan Crowley have all been out injured of late, but Abbott has very much stepped up to the plate.

The Islington-born midfielder is very highly thought of by his parent club. He made his Premier League debut in May 2023 in Spurs’ 4-1 win at Leeds. He’s also represented England at U19 level.

Last season, at 19, Abbott captained Spurs’ U21 side to the Premier League 2 title and was named in Ange Postecoglou's squad for the senior team’s pre-season tour of Japan and Korea this summer.

For a player of his age to be performing as strongly as Abbott is on a regular basis, at what is a good level of football in League Two, it surely earmarks him out for an extremely bright future.