Tyreece John-Jules explained to reporters why he wanted to go on loan this month, after scoring his first goal for Lincoln City at the weekend.

Tyreece John-Jules made his home debut for loan club Lincoln against Blackpool on Saturday, and he ended up scoring the winning goal. Not only that, but he also made two clearances off the line to defend the lead.

The striker seemed to be closing in on a senior debut for Arsenal before his loan. He made the bench in the Europa League, Premier League and FA Cup in December and January.

In the end, he decided on regular loan football instead though. The chance to start playing senior football rather than continuing to feature for the academy was too good to turn down.

“I didn’t want to stay playing under-23 football,” John-Jules said.  “I’ve done that for two years. I wanted to challenge myself.

“The under-23 league is good but playing against grown men is a whole different thing. If you want to play in the Premier League you’ve got to play against grown men.

“It [League One] is much more physical, it’s not as easy. Under-23 football is much more technical and slow. Here, it’s quicker and more aggressive.”

That’s exactly why it’s a good thing for Arsenal to send their young players on loan. As long as they actually play, they learn a totally different skill to youth football, how to deal with the physical side of the game.

If they develop and bring that knowledge back with them, they can start featuring in the Premier League. That’s the aim, anyway.