It is all too easy to be accused of extortionately hyping up the abilities of young players, but, on some occasions, that hype can be justified.
That certainly seems to be the case with Dan Crowley, the England U17 midfielder who was signed by Arsenal from Aston Villa to considerable fanfare last summer. Ever since he first demonstrated his penchant for playing defence-splitting passes whilst playing for England U16s against Wales in 2011, Crowley has been earmarked in youth football circles as a potential superstar.
The buzz of anticipation surrounding his development was intensified somewhat this week as a consequence of his virtuoso performance against Peterborough United in the FA Youth Cup, with Crowley claiming four assists and scoring two goals himself in a comprehensive 6-1 victory.
This has led to claims in some quarters that Crowley should be considered for the first-team’s FA Cup fixture against Coventry City later this month, but, despite his unquestionable talent, it seems somewhat unlikely that Arsene Wenger will be calling upon Crowley for a senior fixture in the next few weeks.
With several prominent players, such as Kristoffer Olsson, Jon Toral, Thomas Eisfeld and Gedion Zelalem, ahead of him in the pecking order, Crowley has yet to make his competitive debut for Arsenal’s U21 side, which provides an indication as to just how many gifted talents the club currently have on their books.
If Olsson or Eisfeld head out on loan later this month, however, Crowley is likely to be afforded an opportunity to impress in the U21s and, given the way he has performed since joining the club, you would expect him to seize the opportunity. The 16 year old possesses an acute awareness of the space around him, whilst his passing ability at such a young age is nothing short of extraordinary and, rather inevitably, has evoked comparisons to Jack Wilshere.
The only element of doubt concerning Crowley at present would appear to be his physicality, with his slight frame and technical wizardry having already seen him on the receiving end of some rather robust challenges from more stocky opponents. That is a problem that is likely to evaporate in time, however.
He may not feature for the first-team for some time yet, but, so far in his Arsenal career, Crowley has already made quite an impact.
