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A bad week for Arsenal youngsters was compounded as League One strugglers Barnsley yesterday sent Dan Crowley back early from his loan spell at Oakwell.

Eighteen-year-old Crowley is considered one of the brightest young talents at Arsenal but has been returned to the Gunners after failing to make an impact in the third tier.

The England youth international had made 10 first-team appearances for the Tykes since joining on loan in the summer.

It was a move that was supposed to run until January, but the coaching staff at Oakwell have been unimpressed with the performances of the Coventry-born midfielder.

In pictures - Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Arsenal

Barnsley, recently a Championship side, find themselves surprisingly in the relegation zone with just 14 points from 14 games this season.

Chairman Maurice Watkins has committed the club to bringing in young players either on loan or with a view to selling on, but Lee Johnson has failed to make the recruitment policy work thus far.

The coaching staff of the Yorkshire club felt Crowley was nowhere near ready for first-team football and had no hesitation in cutting short his loan spell two months early, with the Tykes now hoping to secure an experienced replacement to shore up the centre of the park.

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Crowley’s failure is another blow to the Arsenal youth system, who saw some of their more feted graduates - including four debutants - beaten soundly by Sheffield Wednesday last night.

And Arsene Wenger took the unusual step of criticising the youngsters, claiming they simply weren’t at the level required:

"[The level] was too high for them,” Wenger said post-match. “They are not ready to play at this level. None of them are.”