When looking to send a talented young player out on loan, as Leeds United did this week, a whole host of factors must be considered.
Is that aforementioned youngster ready for the rigours of first-team football? Is the environment the right one? Is he going to get sufficient experience away from his parent club? And does his new, temporary manager have enough belief in his abilities?
Answers to those first three questions will have to wait.
But, as Leeds send Charlie Crew to League Two outfit Doncaster Rovers for the remainder of the season, one thing is absolutely certain. Dons boss Grant McCann rates the 18-year-old extremely highly indeed.
Doncaster Rovers boss hails ‘exceptional’ Leeds United loanee Charlie Crew
Speaking to the club’s official website following the confirmation of Crew’s switch from West Yorkshire to the south of the county, McCann admits that he first witnessed the teenage Welsh international’s talents first hand when Leeds United defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the FA Youth Cup 13 months ago.
A night in which Charlie Crew, as he tends to do, got his foot on the ball and played with a swagger and a confidence which belied his age.
“He’s an exceptional young talent,” McCann says. “I actually watched Charlie last year in the FA Youth Cup when Leeds played Liverpool at Elland Road and, on that night, he stood out.
“He’s developed so much since then, making his debut for Leeds and at international level with Wales.
“We feel like we’re getting a very good player and hopefully we can help him in his development and his growth. We thank Leeds for supporting us on it.”
Crew, having signed a long-term deal until the summer of 2028 recently, made his Championship bow when Leeds beat Plymouth Argyle 3-0 in November.
The one-time Cardiff City prospect will now play senior football, week-in, week-out, for the very first time as he looks to make that always challenging step up from the sanitised world of academy football.
“He has loads of potential and that is the key,” former Wales boss Rob Page said of Crew. “That is the word for it at the minute. “Physically we need to be patient and wait for him to develop.
“But, with regards to his football ability, he is special.”
Daniel Farke likens Crew to Tottenham starlet Archie Gray
Daniel Farke thinks so too.
Comparisons with Archie Gray may not help – only adding to the sense of expectation – but Farke accepts that there are similarities between Charlie Crew and Tottenham Hotspur’s £30 million teen sensation, even if he is a little further behind his fellow 18-year-old in the development terms.
“Obviously Charlie Crew plays in a similar role [to Gray], perhaps a bit more offensive,” Farke said at the start of the current campaign.
He felt at the time that Crew was not ready to be thrown in at the deep end, with that Doncaster spell intended to throw away the arm bands and perfect his stroke ahead of a return to Elland Road.
“Due to his age, he can’t fulfil the role Ilia [Gruev] has done,” Farke added. “You can’t dictate the rhythm of a side wanting promotion on the back of a few first-team training sessions, but he’s a talent full of potential.
“We try to improve him. We see him as a high potential young player. There’s a long way to go, you can’t take it for granted a 17-year-old plays day in day out like Archie. It would be unfair to put the same weight of expectations on Charlie Crew’s shoulders.”
Thanks to McCann’s warmest of welcomes, however, expectations will be high at Doncaster.
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