Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted Ethan Nwaneri was given his full Premier League debut in Wednesday's win over Brentford on merit and not as a result of the illness that has ravaged the Arsenal squad.
“(It's) great to see him play with such courage and such determination. He played in this position not through fault. It was a decision I made because I thought he was the best player to start the match,” Arteta said. He explained.
But there was another factor that came into play as well Name the 17-year-old in the squad.
Nwaniri made history in September 2022 when he came on as a substitute in a match against Brentford, becoming the youngest player in their history. Arsenal And Premier League history, at 15 years and 181 days.
Therefore, giving the youngster his first league start against the same opponent at the same stadium was something Arteta felt was a natural fit.
“It was the story of his first appearance here and then his (full) appearance.” Premier League First time. “Sometimes that feeling comes and you feel like it's the right feeling,” the manager said.
“Part of this development is patience in dealing with frustration and expectations because you expect that everything will go as quickly as the previous things, but that is not the case. Now we are building him up, he has already played a lot of games and he deserves it.”
Nwaniri could end up having a long spell in the Arsenal team while Bukayo Saka plays He has been sidelined with injury until at least early March. After traveling to Brighton, the Gunners will quickly face Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, before hosting Manchester United in the FA Cup third round three days before the north London derby.
There are also two more Champions League matches before the end of January, a month that will see Arsenal take the field nine times.