Page asks for patience as Gorre strives to make his mark in league one

The 21-year-old was signed on loan from Swansea City on the eve of the season after starring for Swansea City’s under-21 team in recent seasons.

He has been a regular fixture in Rob Page’s team, starting all seven league games to date as well as the EFL Cup wins over Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion, with Gorre being the headline grabber against the Baggies as he scored the winning penalty in the shootout victory.

The player had only played a handful of men’s games before joining the Cobblers, and has played well in patches in a team unbeaten after seven matches in Sky Bet League One.

But there have been some dissenting voices from the stands over the past couple of weeks as Gorre has struggled to find his best form, despite the team doing well.

Page says supporters at matches have every right to voice their frustration with any player, and says criticism is ‘part and parcel’ of football, but he has also called for a little bit of extra patience when it comes to Gorre.

“With Kenji, we know he has quality and we brought him to the club from a Premier League team,” said Page, who had been tracking the player for 18 months before signing him.

“He has been playing under-21s football, and stood out head and shoulders above everybody because of the level he’s at.

“We always knew it was going to take time to develop him from under-21 standard, which in my opinion is nowhere near League football.

“We knew building him up to league one football was going to be a patient process, and we are slowly and surely getting there.

“There are aspects of his game that he has to work on, like there is with anybody. Like there is throughout the team, with Alex Revell, Matty Taylor, there are aspects of their game we need improve on.

“Kenji is no different, and he is a young lad we have to patient with.

“He has quality in abundance and slowly but surely we will get it out of him.”

Gorre received some criticism from some supporters in the stands on Saturday despite the fact the Cobblers saw off Walsall 2-0, and it was a similar story the previous week in the win over Milton Keynes Dons.

Page says that is something the player is simply going to have to get used to.

“It is part and parcel of being a footballer,” said the Cobblers boss.

“When you score the winning penalty, you take the praise that comes with that, and when you are not quite at your game, and I’m not saying he’s not quite at his game, then you have to take the criticism.

“Football fans turn up at the stadium, they pay their money, and they have a right to voice their opinion, and they do that.

“On a Saturday afternoon you take it, but social media I am not a fan of that and I’m not so sure about it.

“Vent your frustration on Saturday afternoon, fine, because you have paid your money to watch your team and have every right to.”

When pressed about fans criticising Gorre, Page added: “I am not making this all about Kenji and him getting stick. Like any player out on there, they will get stick if they’re not performing.

“If they’re not performing consistently, then they run the risk of being out of the team, and that’s not just Kenji it is anybody on the pitch.”

The Cobblers have no injury worries ahead of Saturday’s league one trip to Chesterfield.