Alexei Rojas could benefit from Lucas Nygaard's injury

03/21/2025 06:46 AM

There was some frustrating news for Lucas Nygaard this week as it emerged that the Arsenal U21 goalkeeper could miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken finger.

Nygaard has featured prominently for Arsenal U21s this season after joining the club last summer and has made eight appearances in Premier League 2 having missed the start of the season with a broken thumb.

Tommy Setford has played occasionally for the U21s but he often has commitments which involve him training and travelling with the first-team.

Therefore, U21s coach Mehmet Ali may have to call upon a different options for the U21s’ three remaining games of the regular season and potentially the play-offs beyond that.

Brian Okonkwo is a candidate to feature after his loan spell at non-league side Hitchin Town came to an early end.

U18s goalkeepers Jack Porter and Khari Ranson are very highly rated and both possess some experience of U21 football.

However, it is possible that Alexei Rojas may now get an opportunity to impress, with the shot-stopper having been part of the squad for a behind-closed-doors friendly against Cardiff this week.

Rojas trained with the first-team when he was a schoolboy but, somewhat bizarrely, hasn’t played any competitive games at any level this season and has only been named on the bench once in Premier League 2. He was, though, a substitute for the first-team against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.

The 19-year-old has acted as the fourth-choice goalkeeper for the first-team and has also spent a considerable amount of time away with Colombia at youth level.

Rojas was only offered a one year contract last summer and it remains to be seen whether he will still be at Arsenal next season.

However, Rojas will be determined to seize any opportunity that he is afforded and he may well get a chance to impress in the closing stages of the campaign.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird

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