Norwich City defender Timi Odusina says his loan with Hartlepool United has been good for him.
The central defender has made 49 appearances at youth level for City, and has noticed a major difference between under-23s and senior football.
"When I played my first professional game, I realised how different it is to 23s," he told the Hartlepool Mail.
"It's so competitive and you're fighting for something whereas 23s is effectively just friendlies every week.
"I would encourage young players to do it if they can because you need to start your career somewhere and 23s, I wouldn't go as far as saying it's false but it's a lot different to men's football and I think that's a step a lot of lads could take whether it's on loan or permanently."
Odusina is out of contract in the summer.