The father of departing Arsenal academy midfielder Omotara Junaid has spoken to the Gooner Fanzine, after the Gooner revealed on Wednesday that the 17-year-old will leave the Gunners with a year remaining on her agreement.

England Under-17 international Junaid made her senior debut in pre-season away to Southampton, and has captained Arsenal’s Under-21s this season.

Her father OJ told the Gooner Fanzine: “The reason why she left was not because she is frustrated for not having first team opportunities. It was because at the back of a very successful year or Euros and World Cup, Arsenal presented a very poor development plan compared to other clubs for the England U17 starters. 

“She shared how this dev plan will not help her grow her game and there seem to be no further development plan which is so disappointing for a young vibrant player like Omotara , so she decided to leave early to seek a better development opportunity somewhere else. 

“She was not hoping for a 1st team, she is still young and growing but also she did not want to be in a situation where her growth is stifled if that makes sense. It was purely because Arsenal Academy and its coaches did not have a growth plan that made sense to her.”