Former Gunner praised on debut for new club after Arsenal release

Crawley Town boss Rob Elliot has praised former Gunner Tyreece John-Jules after his first game since leaving Arsenal.

Arsenal academy striker Tyreece John-Jules left the club as a free agent over the summer, ultimately joining Crawley Town in October.

A few weeks later, John-Jules made his first Crawley appearance after returning from injury. The striker came off the bench against Wycombe Wanderers in an EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday to play around 23 minutes.

Speaking after the match, manager Rob Elliot seemed pleased with what he saw from the 23-year-old despite Crawley’s 2-1 defeat, insisting the striker is still yet to return to full fitness.

“It was good to get obviously Tyreece (John-Jules) on the pitch and get minutes for lads who’ve been out for a while,” Elliot said.

“He’s worked so well behind the scenes. He’s had a really tough time and he’s such a lovely lad. This is part of his rehab. This isn’t him back fit and fresh.

“We need to make sure that in the next few days he’s right and ready. It was a good glimpse to see what he’s going to be able to bring to us, his pace, his power, some of his passing was excellent and I was really pleased with him tonight.”

John-Jules signed a one-year deal with Crawley, so he’ll be keen to get going as quickly as possible. But with his injury history, he won’t want to take risks.

Over six loan spells away from Arsenal, the striker played just under 3,500 minutes of league action. That’s the equivalent of 39 full matches in four-and-a-half years, playing in leagues that have 46-game seasons.

No one ever has a bad word to say about the player’s character, and he often earns glowing reviews for his performances when fit. If he can prove his fitness and play regularly for Crawley, he’ll surely give the team a big boost.