sport news Arsenal insiders say the sky's the limit for 15-year-old history maker Ethan ... trends now
Some players just have ‘it’. Mikel Arteta detected Ethan Nwaneri has something special in their initial interactions.
They left Arsenal’s manager with ‘the gut feeling’ that the schoolboy would be ready to become the Premier League’s youngest player, aged just 15 years and 181 days, against Brentford on Sunday.
Others have seen it as Nwaneri has risen through Arsenal’s ranks. Some have been left so convinced by what they have witnessed that if Nwaneri (pronounced Wan-yeri) doesn’t make it at Arsenal it will leave them scratching their heads and questioning the game.
Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest Premier League player of all time at the weekend
The 15-year-old was subbed on for Bukayo Saka late on in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Brentford
As much as anyone can say — and while being well aware of the potential pitfalls ahead and development still to come — Nwaneri is considered as close to a sure thing as is possible.
At Arsenal he is widely thought to be ‘the next one’. To some even THE one.
For youngsters coming through at Arsenal’s Hale End academy in recent years Jack Wilshere has been the homegrown benchmark with Cesc Fabregas, signed from Barcelona aged 16, another renowned graduate.
Mikel Arteta's initial conversations with the teenager are sadi to have given him a gut feeling
Forget how his injury-affected career petered out to a premature retirement, remember early Wilshere and the huge buzz of excitement he created when he arrived on the first-team scene.
So Nwaneri being talked about in similar terms to that heralded pair and, in the opinion of some, having the potential to be one of Arsenal’s best ever academy products, is as clear an indication as any of his ability.
Nwaneri, who has played under Wilshere for the Under 18s this season, came on as an attacking midfielder for his historic runout against Brentford and has featured in a variety of forward positions for Arsenal’s academy sides this season.
The teenager came on as an attacking midfielder for his historic runout against Brentford
But the one consistent and key thing as he has progressed through their youth set-up is getting him on the ball wherever he is deployed. Do so enough and games will be influenced and subsequently won.
‘He’s comfortable wherever you play him,’ one Arsenal source
