It’s been a vivid picture of the future for Arsenal tonight: and a very bright one. Two goals for 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in a thrashing display by Arsenal as they ran out 5-1 winners against Bolton at the Emirates in the Carabao Cup third round. Not too much to think about, being young yet dreaming all his life about scoring for the club he cherishes. This was nothing short of a dream come true. But to Nwaneri, this is only the starting point. Even what he said after the match, showed just how ambitious he is to keep making his mark at Arsenal.
A Night Marking The New Chapter For Arsenal And Ethan Nwaneri
Nwaneri’s journey has been superb, though he was only 15 when he received his Premier League debut at the hands of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, thus becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the Premier League. Now, at 17, he is beginning to show exactly why he is held in such great regard within the Arsenal academy. Scoring in both halves of the match on Wednesday, he could have given the home crowd anything more to cheer about than he did. Arsenal supporters raised chants for the new Gunner “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own,” making the night even special for him.
“It’s a great feeling when it’s the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with, and the fans are chanting that,” Nwaneri said after the match. “It’s surreal, It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it.…….. and I just want more of it.”
Arteta’s Young Gunners
In a game where Nwaneri was not the only young face, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had given opportunities to a number of academy players. Of these was goalkeeper Jack Porter, who made history as he became Arsenal’s youngest-ever goalkeeper to start at just 16 years old. As the final whistle came and the players hugged. Porter and Nwaneri shared a warm hug, marking the beginning of a new era for Arsenal’s youth.
Arteta is known to promote young talent, and it is clear that Nwaneri is one of the individuals who has benefited from the confidence his manager has in him. Playing in his fourth match for the Gunners at senior level, it would be pretty clear that Arteta looks forward to him in the future. The young midfielder was even brought into the bench during the thrilling 2-2 draw against Manchester City last weekend, indicating he is slowly crawling into the senior’s limelight.
A Bright Future Ahead For Ethan Nwaneri
A wonderful opening for Nwaneri to get more time on the field is also presented by Arsenal’s captain Martin Odegaard’s ankle injury. As of now, Arsenal has a busy fixture around the corner. The Gunners will have to play in the Premier League against Leicester this weekend and face Paris St Germain in a Champions League clash only three days later. This might give Nwaneri the opportunity he needs to shine. As the young footballer will look to step into the space left by Odegaard.
Odegaard, who has been one of the arsenal’s most important players this term, gave an update on his injury in the pre-match program notes on Wednesday. “It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football, and now I’m just trying to recover as quick as I can.”.
While Odegaard will be putting all his energy into his recovery, Nwaneri will be itching to capitalize on any opportunity that comes his way. He has already proven that he is more than ready for the big stage. And with his confidence rising after Wednesday’s brace, it will not surprise anyone when he emerges for more Premier League challenges.
Conclusion
For a 17-year-old, Nwaneri has already done quite a few remarkable things. But what is exciting is that he’s only just getting going. His hunger to keep improving and scoring goals for Arsenal is appreciable. And with Arteta guiding him and the fans supporting him, the sky’s the limit for what he can do. As Nwaneri himself said that he just want more of it and Arsenal fans will certainly hope for even more magical moments from their bright young star in the near future.
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