Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has compared Ethan Nwaneri to Jack Wilshere as he prepares to make his Champions League debut in Tuesday night’s trip to PSV Eindhoven.
The 16-year old Anglo-Nigerian made history in September 2022 when he became the youngest player to appear in an English top flight game at the age of 15.
Nwaneri was an unused substitute in the 6-0 bashing of RC Lens last time out which sealed top spot in Group B. Arteta will be resting a lot of his first team regulars for the final group game, and has been pleased with Nwaneri’s development across the different age grades in the Arsenal academy.
“There’s something unique that he’s got that I really liked from the beginning, his ability to take the ball in tight areas and to escape a little bit like Jack Wilshere used to do,” Arteta told the club website.
“The personality he has, he trains with us like he trains with the under-18s or under-16s and I love that in a player. He’s got that bit between his teeth as well that he wants to show every single day how good he is and to impress people.
“When you have someone like that, you have to give him hope and as well it was a really important moment for us because we really wanted to keep him and I think it was a strange sign for him that this is his place for him to develop.”
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Nwaneri has made seven appearances in age grade competitions this season, scoring five goals including the reverse fixture against PSV in the UEFA Youth League back in September.
