Where are Arsenal’s youngest-ever starting XI? Ft. Wilshere and Bendtner | OneFootball

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This week, the Carabao Cup will be the centre of attention as current holders Manchester United enter the competition in the third round. They will be joined by a number of Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham.

Tottenham Hotspur have already blown one shot at ending their trophy drought this season, having been dumped out by Fulham in the second round. They remain the biggest team to have left the tournament so far but will soon be joined by others. After all, Brighton and Hove Albion travel to Chelsea in the week, while Man United host Crystal Palace, and Man City face Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Of course, many of these clubs will have bigger priorities and the early stages of the competition often afford an opportunity for youngsters to get some minutes under the belt. Arsenal travel away to Brentford and could include 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in the team – he actually made his senior debut against the Bees last term, becoming the Premier League's youngest-ever player at 15 years and 181 days.

Former manager Arsène Wenger was known for giving academy starlets a chance to impress whenever possible and it was actually during the third round of the League Cup way back in September 2008 when he named the club’s youngest-ever starting XI in a competitive name. With an average age of only 19, the youthful Gunners smashed Sheffield United 6-0 and looked to have the world at their feet. Sadly, for many, their careers didn't quite work out as expected. With that being the case, GIVEMESPORT has taken a look to see what all the players are up to now.

Goalkeeper - Łukasz Fabiański

Premier League fans will be well acquainted with Fabiański who has been a solid option between the sticks at West Ham for a number of years now. However, during his time in North London, he struggled to break into the first team and often looked extremely nervous when called upon.

He played second fiddle to Wojciech Szczęsny for the most part but did still manage to win the FA Cup in 2014, with Fabiański getting the nod for the 3-2 win against Hull City. He joined Swansea City that following summer and having matured with a bit of age and experience established himself as a safe pair of hands at the Welsh club. Now 38, the Pole appears to be the cup goalkeeper at West Ham, with Alphonse Areola claiming the number one spot at the start of this season.

Left-back - Kieran Gibbs

Another player who had a fairly solid career in England, Gibbs even managed to play 10 times for the Three Lions but never featured in an international tournament. Coming through the Hale End Academy, via Wimbledon, the left-back played 229 times for Arsenal, winning three FA Cups – he also claimed an assist during this 6-0 win over Sheffield United.

He left for West Brom in 2017 and then joined Inter Miami four years later. He terminated his contract there before Lionel Messi arrived and is now pursuing a career in punditry having become part of the MLS outfit's broadcasting team.

Centre-back - Johan Djourou

Djourou spent 10 years with the Gunners between 2004 and 2014 although was loaned out to Birmingham City, Hannover and Hamburger SV during his time as an Arsenal player. Injuries unfortunately often got in the way just when he looked set to make a real impact on the team but he still managed to play 144 games for the North London club.

Fitness issues were also cited when the former Switzerland international announced his retirement from football at the age of just 34 back in June 2021. He has previously talked about wanting to become an actor, saying (via Daily Star): “I once said one of my goals after football was to become an actor. It's funny, because I've recently done two weeks of stage training, last summer." He also does punditry work for French and Swiss TV.

Centre-back - Alex Song

Arriving in 2005, it took a while for Song to truly break through at Arsenal but he finally established himself (still aged just 21) during the 2008/09 season. He played 48 appearances in all competitions – including the start he made in defence during this Carabao Cup fixture.

The Cameroonian actually developed into a holding midfielder and later earned a move to Barcelona after a few good years in England. He pretty much flopped in Spain though and later spent time with West Ham, Rubin Kazan, and then Sion. Now aged 36, he plays for Djibouti side Arta/Solar7.

Right-back - Gavin Hoyte

Probably the least familiar name on the team so far, Hoyte started this game at right-back, helping the Gunners keep a clean sheet. This was just one of four senior appearances he made for the club having come through the academy.

Despite this game happening 15 years ago, Hoyte is still only 33 and currently plays for Maidstone United, who compete in the National League South (the sixth tier of English football). He is the younger brother of Justin Hoyte, who also played for Arsenal.

Centre-mid - Mark Randall

Another name that might not ring too many bells, Randall joined the club's academy in 2001 and went on to make 13 senior appearances for the first team. The English midfielder appeared to be a very exciting talent but never quite lived up to the potential he once promised.

Even so, he's gone on to play for the likes of Burnley, Milton Keynes Dons, Rotherham United and Crawley Town over the course of his career. Since 2019, the 33-year-old has played for professional Northern Irish football club Larne, who play in the Irish League Premiership.

Centre-mid - Aaron Ramsey

At the time, Ramsey was viewed as a real star of the future and he certainly went on to deliver some great moments in an Arsenal shirt – including two winners in two separate FA Cup finals. Aged just 17 at the time of this game, the Welshman picked up a delightful back-heel assist against the Blades.

With 369 appearances, 64 goals and 66 assists, many consider Ramsey to be a true Emirates era legend. He did leave for Juventus in 2019 but things didn't work out well for him in Italy. He then spent time with Rangers and OGC Nice before ending back at childhood club Cardiff, where he has three goals in six games in the Championship this season.

Centre-mid - Jack Wilshere

For all the excitement there was over Ramsey, you could nearly double it when it came to Wilshere hype. Before this game, he had already become the club's youngster ever Premier League player (later beaten by Nwaneri) and he got his first goal for Arsenal in this 6-0 thrashing, still only 16 years old.

The Englishman later went on to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2011, but we all know what happened from there. Injuries completely derailed his career, eventually forcing him to retire in 2022 aged just 30 after spells with West Ham, Bournemouth and Danish team AGF. He still works for the Gunners, though, as the head coach of their under-18 team.

Left-wing - Carlos Vela

Vela really announced himself to those who hadn't been paying much attention at the time with a fantastic hat-trick against Sheffield United. All his efforts were fine finishes but his second goal, in particular, really caught the eye. The Mexican took a brilliant touch off his chest to beat his man, before impudently chipping the goalkeeper with a glorious chip.

He left North London with 62 appearances under his belt and spent some of his best years in La Liga with Real Sociedad – scoring 73 goals and picking up 43 assists in 248 games – before heading to Los Angeles FC in 2018, winning the MLS MVP Award a year later. He's also lifted the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield during his time with the American club.

Centre-forward - Nicklas Bendtner

Like Vela, Bendtner also scored plenty of goals as a youngster for the Gunners and grabbed a brace against the Blades on this September night in 2008. He opened the scoring with a smart right-footed effort from outside the box and then doubled his tally before half-time after Ramsey's clever flick pass.

With his Lord Bendtner status, the Dane may be regarded as a bit of a meme but he did plenty of good things for the club in the early stages of his career, claiming 47 goals and 22 assists in 171 outings. But he never did quite fulfil his potential and in 2021 – after time with Sunderland, Birmingham, Wolfsburg, and Juventus (where he won a Serie A title) – he retired from football aged 33.

Right-wing - Fran Merida

Last up in the starting XI, we have Merida who was, at the time, a highly-rated Spanish midfielder coming through the ranks. Seeing as he'd spent time with Barcelona's La Masia before arriving in North London – much like Cesc Fabregas – you can see why there was plenty of hype over the player. His performance here, with an assist for Wilshere, only added to the excitement.

However, in 2010 he controversially rejected a contract offer from Arsenal and opted to join Atletico Madrid instead, much to the annoyance of Wenger. He never really kicked on from there though and bounced around Spain and La Liga for a number of years before joining Chinese side Tianjin Jinmen Tiger in 2022, where he remains to this day as a 33-year-old.