The U’s boss was an admirer of the former Southampton youngster but says they were unable to make a deal happen this summer, with the 21-year-old midfielder instead becoming part of a Northampton squad that has impressed Cowley.

Colchester head to Sixfields tomorrow to face the second-bottom Cobblers and Cowley believes their opponents possess far more quality than their current league position suggests.

And the U’s head coach highlighted O’Brien-Whitmarsh as one of a number of talented younger players Northampton have added to an already experienced group.

Cowley said: “They have some really experienced players and you’ve got to remember, they’re a League One team who have come down with a lot of League One players.

“They’ve added some really good younger players that we would have really liked to have signed ourselves but just weren’t able to make it happen.

“They’ve got Lee Evans in midfield who’s a very, very good player and the boy from Southampton [Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh] who we really liked and would have loved to have signed but it wasn’t possible.”

Summer switch - Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh joined Northampton Town from Southampton in the summer (Image: Northampton Town FC)

Cowley feels Northampton have a good blend of youth and experience within their ranks and believes that will ultimately see them climb the table.

The Colchester boss is adamant the Cobblers will not remain in their current position and is expecting a significant challenge from them when the teams meet.

He said: “Good squad. They won’t finish where they are today, let me tell you that for sure!

“They’ll be well, well, well beyond that, so we have a lot of respect for them as a team and as a club.

“It’s a big challenge for us and one we’re going to try to meet head on.”

Cowley also pointed to the experience Northampton possess defensively, with Elliott Moore, Jon Guthrie and Janoi Donacien among their options at the back.

He said: “They played with a back four at the beginning of the season and I think they’ve moved more recently into a back three.

“They have Elliott Moore who sits in the middle of their defence and played for Oxford in the Championship and played against us last year, in the Carabao Cup.

“They’ve got Guthrie, Donacien, who not so long ago was at Ipswich going through the divisions, so you look at them as a back three and you think ‘whoa’ – there’s some serious experience there.”

Flashback - Owen Dale during his Oxford United days (Image: Mike Allen)

Further forward, Cowley is also wary of the attacking qualities available to Northampton.

He knows Owen Dale from the winger’s time at Portsmouth, while young striker Matty Warhurst and the vastly experienced Sam Hoskins add further options to the Cobblers’ squad.

Cowley added: “There’s Owen Dale who I know well from his time at Portsmouth, playing the right 10, who has some really good movement and some good qualities.

“They also signed a young centre-forward [Matty Warhurst] from Manchester City.

“They’ve got a nice balance, with boys like Sam Hoskins who’s been around for what feels like forever and year after year, has always found quality and goals for Northampton.”