It's in the middle of August and Willem II travel to FC Groningen. Their starting lineup is filled with players from around the globe: the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Ecuador, New Zealand and England.

The hub of the midfield is dictated by Daniel Crowley, a former Aston Villa academy trainee and Arsenal youth player. Crowley orchestrates a quick one-two on the half-way line, gathers the ball and drives forward into open space.

He reaches the edge of the penalty area. With confidence flowing through his veins, he cuts onto his favoured right-foot and produces a curling shot that tips the bottom of the crossbar and into the goal. The Groningen goalkeeper, Sergio Padt, is left hopelessly off his line.

Two years after officially swapping the Emirates for the Koning Willem II Stadion, Crowley is on his way back into English football and the Midlands. He is set to become Pep Colet's and Birmingham's fourth summer signing for a reported fee of £700,000 plus add-ons.

He endured difficult loan spells at Barnsley and Oxford United, as well as problems at U23 level, forcing the midfielder into a new path. Crowley's Dutch adventure began in 2017 when he was set on loan to Go Ahead Eagles from Arsenal in the second-half of the 2016-17 season, but moved to Willem II the next summer.

The 21-year-old is a part of the handful of English players to adventure into the unknown territory of foreign leagues - an alien feeling for the vast majority of English footballers.

"This is the problem for English youngsters: where do you take the next step?” Crowley told the Telegraph in November. “Under-23s football is not competitive enough, there are no fans and you are not playing for anything. I wasn’t ready for the first team or the Championship. League One wasn’t my football. I needed to play.”

He added: “Imagine not fulfilling your potential and living the rest of your life with that, I just couldn’t do it... I think I could be one of the best No 10s in the world.”

Crowley started every league fixture for Willem II last campaign, averaging 86 minutes per game. His influence amongst his teammates was clear as he flourished as he scored five goals, obtained 7 assists and averaged 1.7 key passes per game.

“I used to think just about myself and what I could do to look good but now I only do what’s best for the team" he said. "If that is playing one or two touch, or dribbling with the ball. Before I would just try to make the killer pass or go past three or four.”

With Crowley's Dutch episode coming to a close, he will be returning to England as new a player. He has undergone the pressure of growing a winning mentality in the Eredivisie. It has set him course to face the new physical and psychological challenges in the Championship. Crowley will hope it has set him on an ambitious course of becoming one of the best players in the world.