Niall Quinn has decided against signing Arsenal teenager Anthony Stokes on a season-long loan.
After careful consideration, the Sunderland boss has opted to let the striker, 18, go back to the Emirates Stadium.
Stokes trained with the Black Cats for a week, playing in a friendly against South Korea Under-20s last week.
Quinn confirmed: "Anthony is a young player who needs games now and we can't promise him that. I think Arsenal will loan him to a club who will guarantee him a game, week in, week out.
"I've a lot of good forwards here and he isn't, in my opinion anyway, ready to dislodge the ones that I will have in the team.
"We don't have a reserve team in a league here so I can't give games unless we arrange friendlies, so all in all it was best if he returned - but he's a good player."
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