Arteta says Nwaneri will ‘dictate’ own Arsenal progress | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has said Ethan Nwaneri will dictate the pace of his own development at Arsenal.

The teenager underlined his rich potential with a brilliant goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 at Preston, as the Gunners booked their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Having scored his first goals for the North Londoners in the round three win over Bolton, the 17-year-old was on target again in the competition at Deepdale.

Nwaneri, who became English football’s youngest-ever top-flight debutant in 2022, is knocking on the door for regular first-team football at Arsenal this season.

Arteta said he has not been surprised by Nwaneri’s performances for the senior side and hailed the teenager’s ‘personality’ on the pitch and desire to ‘make things happen’.

“He did it yesterday in training so we’re used to that. He’s a big talent, he’s got the right attitude, he’s got the right players and context around him and we need to make sure that we put brick by brick in the right order but we have some player here,” Arteta said at his post-match press conference.

“He’s going to really dictate how fast that’s going to go (his future development) but I’m really happy with him.”

Asked how the academy product has handled the first-team environment, Arteta praised the player’s work ethic and said Nwaneri has already earned the respect of the squad.

“So much personality there, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen. Outside and around he’s still a bit quiet as usual, he’s 17 years old, very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, you can tell that.

“He’s showing every day what he’s capable of and you see his teammates, they give him the ball all the time, that’s a great sign. We have some player there.

“He’s got this quality, this personality, he’s there to make things happen, he doesn’t care who he’s got around him, he needs to make the decision for himself, he does it and he scored a fantastic goal tonight.”

Read – Five players who impressed in the Carabao Cup this week

See more – Carabao Cup quarter-final draw: Spurs host Man United

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