Ethan Nwaneri scores 20-yard finish as he impresses on England youth duty | OneFootball

Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri carried his strong form into the October international break with a couple of goals for the England u19s.

SAN PEDRO DE ALCANTARA, SPAIN: Ethan Nwaneri of England U19 in action during the International match between Portugal U19 and England U19 at Marbella Football Center on October 09, 2024. (Photo by Fran Santiago – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri is pushing for first-team minutes with the Gunners at the moment, in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard, and he continued to make his case over the international break.

Nwaneri was called up by the England u19s, and he was named as captain for two of their three games, coming off the bench in the third.

The midfielder went on to score in both of his starts, first against Portugal, and then against France.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on September 25, 2024. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Nwaneri’s goal in the Portugal game came in a 2-1 defeat, and he scored it from the penalty spot. It was good to see him taking on that responsibility as captain, but it’s a goal you would have expected him to score.

The France goal was more impressive, with the player picking up the ball on the right, cutting in on his stronger left foot before finding an excellent finish from 20 yards out.

Nwaneri played 68 minutes, coming off with his team 3-2 up. They added a fourth after his substitution to secure the result.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal is challenged by Timo Werner of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Arsenal youngster now has five goal contributions in six games for the England u19s, and he’s clearly considered the team’s star man as captain.

It’s worth remembering that Nwaneri is still only 17, so he’s playing above his age group even at the u19 level.

In club football, Nwaneri has solely made appearances for the Arsenal first team in 2024/25, scoring two goals in his three games – albeit that both were against lower-league Bolton Wanderers.