Arsenal: 'Fascinating' situation now 'breaking through' at the Emirates | OneFootball

Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri making his Premier League debut is a “fascinating story”, according to insider Dean Jones.

The 15-year-old became the youngest player in Premier League history when he appeared as a late substitute at Brentford earlier this month.

What happened against Brentford?

Arsenal probably made the short trip across London expecting a tough afternoon, not one ending in history.

But thanks to goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus, and Fabio Vieira, it ended up being a walk in the park for Mikel Arteta’s side.

As a result, the Spaniard had the luxury of being able to make all five substitutes, with the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Eddie Nketiah getting some much-needed minutes.

The schoolboy overtook Harvey Elliott as the youngest player in the competition’s history at just 15 years, five months and 28 days, putting his name into Arsenal and Premier League record books.

It was in fact the first time that Nwaneri had ever been involved with the first team, but Jones reckon that Arteta was well aware of the talented youngster.

What did Jones say about Nwaneri?

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s a fascinating story to see someone like Nwaneri break through when you’re really not expecting it.

“I think Arteta had obviously heard about him through the academy and speaking to people within the club and when you’re spoken about that highly, you would just want to get eyes on him.”

Could Nwaneri get further chances?

Arsenal have given opportunities to youngsters in the Europa League in recent years, with Charlie Gilmour, Zech Medley, Miguel Azeez and Folarin Balogun just some of the names to have appeared in the competition.

Having played once in their group after the PSV postponement, Arteta isn’t yet in a position to play those kind of players, but with large benches allowed in Europe, that could become the case as the competition wears on.

The Gunners are expected to comfortably progress through their group, so there should be chances in the latter stages for some younger players to get minutes, with Nwaneri potentially coming into play if he continues to catch Arteta’s eye.