Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Ethan Nwaneri’s continous growth and maturity for the Gunners this season, Afrosport reports.
The 17-year-old has put in impressive displays since stepping in for Bukayo Saka who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since December.
Nwaneri himself was out for most of January due to a muscle injury but has returned to the side and continued to influence results, the latest coming in Arsenal’s 2-0 Premier League win at Leicester City when he assisted Mikel Merino for the first goal.
Reacting to Nwaneri’s performance at the King Power Stadium, Arteta said: “What he’s showing basically, that’s him. Obviously, his age is something that puts a question mark on how we have to deal with him, but every time that he’s given us, he’s always ‘let me go, let me go, let me go.’
“When a player is giving you all those signs, you shouldn’t stop it, and you have to play with that freedom, that creativity, that confidence that he’s playing with at the minute and the players around him are believing in him. So, let him go because he’s a massive threat, massive talent and he deserves to play.”
Ethan’s endless energy ⚡️
POTM performance from Nwaneri 👏 pic.twitter.com/2Wka2J7PzH
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 17, 2025
The Spaniard added: “I think there were a few in the first half as well, every time he was on the ball, he made things happen. You could see that he had another level of threat and the rest of the team, and he continued with that in the second half with two great actions. And after that, he puts the ball on the plate for Mikel to score the header.”
The assist by Nwaneri was his first of the season in all competitions, coupled with seven goals in 24 outings.
