London, Nov 1 (IANS) Arsenal’s young midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, who made his debut at the age of 15 in 2022 making him the youngest player in League history, is now making strides in the first team. Club manager Mikel Arteta empasised the importance of helping Nwaneri ‘fly but not cut off his wings.’
“I can talk about how good he is right now. At 17, to be in the position he is in at one of the biggest clubs in Europe sums up where he is. He is surrounded by the right people. My prediction is going to be very positive. It’s rare to see a talent like this at 17 years old, that’s true. We didn’t do it because it was a gift, we saw a path for him and wanted to show the trust in him.
“I think the biggest thing is to push him. Once you push, grab him from behind. When you see this talent, you have to push him. He has to see he can fly and not cut his wings. That shows in the building that there is a pathway and for other players to follow,” said Arteta in the pre-game conference ahead of Saturday’s clash against Newcastle United.
Nwaneri was adjudged the Player of the Match during Arsenal’s midweek clash against Preston NE for his brilliant curler from outside the box, which nestled into the top left corner.
Arsenal fans were left worrying after the team’s anchor in defence, Gabriel Magalhaes was forced to be subbed off during the 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Saturday. The Spaniard gave positive updates regarding the Brazilian and also give a promising update in regards to their skipper Martin Odegaard, who has been out for an extended period of time.
“We have a training session today, if he (Gabriel) can complete that, he will be available,” said Arteta. “Now is the stage he’s (Odegaard) going to start doing some work with us and see how he deals with pain.” the Spaniard said, “With the work rate and the amount of hours he has put in, I don’t know when he will be ready. Hopefully soon,” he added.
–IANS
aaa/bc