Arteta hails "big talent" Nwaneri as youngster steals show at Preston
Yesterday at 07:01 PM
Mikel Arteta labelled Ethan Nwaneri “some player” after the England youth international produced another man-of-the-match performance to help Arsenal secure a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace at the expense of Preston.
The 17-year-old, starting his second game in the competition, was the beating heart of Arsenal’s attacking play and capped off a virtuoso performance with a fine curling strike from the edge of the box.
Arteta was also able to enjoy a first goal for Gabriel Jesus since January. The Brazil international led the line and converted in clinical style from a Jakub Kiwior knockdown to break the deadlock in the 24th minute.
On a night when Arsenal created chances for fun, it was a surprise they had to wait until the second half to extend their advantage. Substitute Kai Havertz rounded off the scoring with a bullet header as Kiwior registered his second assist of the night.
“There’s so much personality there, he wants to involve himself, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen,” said Arteta when asked about Nwaneri’s talent.
“Outside, he’s still a boy, a bit quiet as is usual for 17-year-olds, very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, you can tell that.”
As for the youngster’s goal, he added: “He did it yesterday in training so we’re getting 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 we put brick-by-brick in the right tempo, the right order but we’ve got some player there.
“He’s got this quality, this personality, he’s there to make things happen, he doesn’t care who’s around him, if he needs to make the decision on his own, he does it. He scored a fantastic goal tonight.”
Having made his debut two seasons ago at the age of 15, Nwaneri has been on supporters’ radar for a while. However, with minutes coming more regularly, it feels like he’s on the verge of a real breakthrough.
Arteta agreed with that assessment, saying: “Certainly, if not he wouldn’t play tonight, he wouldn’t play three days ago against Liverpool.
“He’s there, I think, he is showing every day what he is capable of. You see his teammates, they give him the ball all the time, that’s a great sign, we have some player there.”
As for Jesus ending a nine month goal drought, the boss said: “It was since January, it’s been a long time, that’s going to unlock that thing mentally and [allow him] to move on. I think he had a good performance tonight.
“He looks really happy, his performance, his attitude, as always, [was good] but he needed that feeling that he can put the ball in the back of the net.”
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