Cobblers boss Boothroyd says releasing Moult could ‘bring the best’ out of striker

HIGH POINT - Louis Moult celebrates scoring for the Cobblers in the 2-0 win over Port Vale last season

Aidy Boothroyd believes the ‘stressful situation’ that awaits the now unemployed Louis Moult could be highly beneficial to the player.

Former Stoke City tyro Moult was one of seven Cobblers shown the door at Sixfields at the end of their contracts.

The 21-year-old, Boothroyd confirmed, was close to being offered an extension of his current arrangement at Sixfields, but feels the time is right to set the player free.

And now Moult will hope to follow a similar trail to the one forged by Steve Morison, who left Northampton for non-League football, cut his teeth, and eventually progressed all the way to the Premier League.

“What we were going to do with Louis originally was sign him and then loan him out again,” said Boothroyd.

“But I think there comes a time when you have to make a decision with a player and with Louis, throughout his career, he’s threatened to do very well for a long time.

“He’s done well in academy football and gone out and had a little taste of men’s football and sometimes you have to cut the umbilical cord.

“We’re saying to him to go out and build a career for himself and sometimes when you put people in those positions and under that kind of stress it brings the best out of them.

“I’m sure he won’t have any problem getting fixed up and he needs to play football, score goals and get a reputation for himself.”

DEFENDER Nana will undertake pre-season training with Yeovil Town in a bid to win a contract at the Glovers.

The right-back, who has not played first-team football since suffering a knee injury in September 2011, spent time at Crewe last season and has been offered a lifeline by Yeovil boss Gary Johnson, the man who signed him at Sixfields.