BARNSLEY boss Lee Johnson has warned Wanderers striker Conor Wilkinson he needs to knuckle down or risk letting his talent go to waste.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has been sent back from a loan at Barnsley having failed to establish himself at the League One club.

Wilkinson made 12 appearances at Oakwell, scoring once, but has not featured since early November.

Barnsley passed on the opportunity to sign the 20-year-old for £75,000 and he has now returned to the fold at Euxton.

But Johnson gave the striker a warning to take home, saying his attitude to the game must change if he is to realise the talent that made Bolton sign him from Millwall in July 2013 and fast-track him to a handful of first-team appearances.

“Conor has all the talent in the world and his application needs to improve. If he does improve his ways then the world is his oyster,” Johnson said.

“If he continues on the path that he's on then it's going to be difficult to find a level that suits the talent.

“I want the kid to do well and I love his talent but you do find sometimes that players can't handle certain scenarios, sometimes it's an ego thing."

Wilkinson played the full 90 minutes in Wanderers under-21s development squad's 2-2 league draw at Birmingham yesterday in which Tom Eaves put the Whites ahead and Quade Taylor scored a late equaliser for Iain Brunskill's side.