Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri is on the cusp of not only earning his first start wearing the Gunners badge but also finding himself in the first team as a teenager. A midfielder hailing from Hale End with the world on his feet and finding himself in the midst of senior football—we have seen this story before, haven’t we?
Arsenal are due to face Atalanta later today as the Gunners begin their UEFA Champions League campaign, with many supporters wanting their 17-year-old midfielder to start.
This comes as we lost Martin Odegaard to a ‘significant’ ankle injury, while Emile-Smith Rowe was sold and Fabio Vieira was shipped on loan to Porto, which means there are no creative midfielders at the Emirates Stadium except young Nwaneri.
In all honesty, the Hale Ender has shown physical capacities complimented by the calmness to feature for the first team for sometime; however, Mikel Arteta has been cautious in his approach to giving the 17-year-old consistent minutes. Arteta wants to introduce Ethan slowly, leaving one string at a time, just like Pep Guardiola did with Phil Foden during his formative years at City.
However, injury concerns may force Mikel to turn to Nwaneri, who looked like he belonged when he took the field against Tottenham in the North London Derby last weekend.
Jorginho backs Ethan Nwaneri for Success
Ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Atalanta, the Gunners temporary captain, Jorginho, joined Mikel Arteta in the club’s pre-game press conference. And given the excitement around Nwaneri off late, the Italian international was quizzed about the youngster and his progression since he started training with the first team.
The former Napoli midfielder paid huge compliments to Ethan, claiming that the England youth international has a big future ahead of him should he maintain the current standards and progression.
Speaking via Hayters TV, Jorginho said:
“Yeah, he’s a young lad; he’s growing a lot; he’s improving every single day—a talented player with good skills who can dribble, who can break lines, can find a goal, can find a pass. So I think he can have a good future in front of him if he stays the way he’s been training and trying to improve every day.”
Arteta would be sitting in his room right now pondering if he should start Nwaneri when Arsenal lineup at Gewiss Stadium later today, with the Spaniard realising how it’s getting harder and harder for him to hold the 17-year-old back and in his developmental track.
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Would you be starting Ethan Nwaneri vs. Atalanta later today?
