Ethan Nwaneri: How Arsenal teen could copy injured Bukayo Saka as Mikel Arteta sent "no better" message

Arsenal fans should not expect Ethan Nwaneri to commencement Premier League matches week successful week retired successful the aftermath of Bukayo Saka's injury, Gunners adept Charles Watts has warned.

Mikel Arteta's broadside person been rocked by the quality that Saka will walk "many weeks" connected the sidelines with the superior hamstring occupation helium sustained successful the archetypal fractional of Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace.

As Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson were some loaned retired successful the summer, Arsenal are abbreviated of genuine right-wing screen for Saka - who is not expected to play again until precocious February oregon aboriginal March - but the embryonic Nwaneri is simply a imaginable solution.

The 2007-born starlet is yet to commencement a Premier League game, though, and speaking to Sports Mole, Watts highlighted Nwaneri's caller mediocre cameos against Everton and Crystal Palace arsenic an "eye-opener" to Arsenal fans crying retired for the 17-year-old to travel into the archetypal XI.

"I deliberation he'll bash what's champion for the agelong term," Watts said erstwhile asked whether Nwaneri could beryllium pressed into enactment portion Saka is absent. "I deliberation we'll spot much minutes from him.

'Nwaneri truly struggled against Everton, Palace'

"I deliberation it's been absorbing watching Nwaneri with his substitute quality against Everton and past the commencement successful the EFL Cup crippled against Palace erstwhile helium got taken disconnected astatine fractional time, helium truly did conflict successful those 2 games.

"In presumption of wherever helium should beryllium connected the pitch, his positioning, helium did drift retired to the close a lot, surely for the cupful crippled arsenic well. And that near a large gaping hole. And I wasn't amazed erstwhile helium didn't travel retired for the 2nd half.

"But I deliberation for him, that'll beryllium a truly cardinal portion of his development. And helium needs to cognize astatine 17, it's not each highs. You're going to person to woody with lows, and I deliberation those lows are astir arsenic important to immoderate player's improvement astatine that property than the highs are.

"We volition spot him play much minutes. But I deliberation those 2 games, those 2 appearances, surely a spot of an oculus opener to immoderate Arsenal fans that helium is conscionable inactive a 17-year-old kid. And it is very, precise important to retrieve that."

Two years connected from becoming the youngest subordinate to play successful the Premier League astatine 15 years and 181 days old, Nwaneri has had a breakthrough run successful 2024-25, netting 4 goals and excelling successful the EFL Cup successful particular.

The teen capped disconnected Arsenal's 3-0 fourth-round triumph astatine Preston North End by cutting wrong from the close and bending a superb left-footed curler into the acold corner, a c transcript of the decorativeness that Saka produced connected the opening time of past play against Nottingham Forest.

'No amended enactment than Nwaneri connected his near foot'

© Imago

Cutting wrong from that flank and either delivering a transverse oregon going for extremity has go Saka's trademark, and Watts believes that determination is "no amended option" to replicate that effectual play than Nwaneri, but his property indispensable inactive beryllium taken into account.

"I can't ideate Mikel is going to spell 'we've mislaid Bukayo Saka, our champion player. Let's enactment connected a 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri to effort and header without him,'" Watts added. "I deliberation he'll beryllium precise wary of doing that.

"But I bash deliberation we'll spot much minutes for Nwaneri, he's decidedly an option. When you look astatine the squad, if you privation idiosyncratic to play connected that right-hand broadside and tin travel successful connected his near foot, there's nary existent amended enactment that Arsenal person than Ethan.

"But arsenic Mikel said, it's astir apt not going to beryllium similar for like, it's going to beryllium uncovering a antithetic mode to play successful Saka's absence."

Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz correspond different alternate options to Saka connected the close flank, though Watts opted for a antithetic solution erstwhile naming his fig 1 choice to capable successful for the 23-year-old.

Saka begins his lack from the Arsenal XI connected Friday, erstwhile the Gunners big Ipswich Town successful their adjacent Premier League contest.

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