Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted Ethan Nwaneri made his full Premier League debut in Wednesday’s win over Brentford because of his performance and not because of the illness that has gripped the Gunners’ squad.
“[It] It’s great to see him play with that courage and determination. He didn’t play in that position because of the mistake. “It was a decision I made because I thought he was the best player to start the game,” Arteta explained.
But there was another factor that played a role in the 17-year-old’s nomination to the lineup.
Nwaneri made history in September 2022 when he came on as a substitute in a game against Brentford, becoming the youngest player in Arsenal and English top flight history at 15 years and 181 days.
Therefore, it was a no-brainer for Arteta to give the youngster his first start in the league against the same opposition at the same stadium.
“It was a story with his debut here and then his debut.” [full] Premier League debut. “Sometimes that feeling comes and you feel like it’s the right thing to do,” the manager said.
“Part of this development is patience in dealing with frustration and expectations, because you assume that everything will happen as quickly as previous things, but that is not the case. Now we’re building him up, he’s already played a lot of games and he deserves this.”
Nwaneri could play longer at Arsenal, while Bukayo Saka will be sidelined at least until early March due to injury. After traveling to Brighton, the Gunners quickly face Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final before hosting Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup three days before the north London derby.
There are also two more Champions League games until the end of January, in which Arsenal will be on the pitch nine times.