Ray Parlour makes Jack Wilshere comparison as Ethan Nwaneri fears emerge

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Ray Parlour says Arsenal and England must strive to find the right balance when it comes to Ethan Nwaneri’s game-time as the teenager continues to flourish for both club and country.

Nwaneri took the latest step in his remarkable breakout season on Monday as he was awarded his first start for England’s Under-21 side against Portugal on Monday.

And the versatile 18-year-old marked the occasion in style, scoring a trademark curling effort from range to notch up England’s second in a 4-2 home win.

Back in his role with the developmental side, Lee Carsley raved about the Arsenal youngster who is no doubt under serious consideration for a spot in the England squad which will seek to win back-to-back European Under-21 Euros this summer in Slovenia.

But Carsley also insisted that he would consult with Arsenal to make a smart decision about Nwaneri’s involvement as both look to avoid overworking the teenager at this early stage of his career.

Gone, hopefully, are the days when Arsene Wenger and Stuart Pearce were involved in a public tit-for-tat over the inclusion of Jack Wilshere in England’s Under-21 Euro squad following a season which had seen the then-19-year-old already play more than 50 times for Arsenal.

Parlour was keen to echo Carsley’s sentiments and urged both teams to take the necessary precautions to ensure Nwaneri doesn’t go the same way as Wilshere who saw a meteoric early rise give way to a career blighted by injury woes.

‘You want to play for your country whenever you can, there's no doubt about that and I'm sure he's the same,’ Parlour told Metro via NetBet Sports Betting. ‘As much as you want to do well for your club you also want to develop in the Under-21s and get into the senior team.

‘But you have to have plans for young players and they do sometimes need resting. You can go back to Jack Wilshere back in the day – he'd become too important for the club when he was 17 and Arsene Wenger had to play him every week because he was that good.

‘That's a good problem to have but you also look at how things ended for Jack and don't want to repeat that.

‘Nowadays, though, you've got so many people behind the scenes looking at everything – their heart rate, their sprint numbers – and checking over them. They’re like top racehorses now and are looked after probably a bit better than in my era.’

One thing Parlour is certain of is that Nwaneri will only have one thing on his mind. ‘As a youngster, you just want to be out there playing every match,’ the former Gunners title winner added.

‘If you're playing well and scoring goals like he is you can't wait for the next game. You try and push yourself all the way. Arsenal can still manage his minutes and take him off when he's done the business in the first 60 or 70 minutes.

‘There'll be plans for him but all you can hope is that he keeps developing and working hard and he can become a superstar which would be fantastic for England and Arsenal.’

Nwaneri remains in the nascent stages of his career, with just 31 senior appearances for Arsenal, and Parlour warned the 18-year-old to not let talk of his potential distract him in the crucial years ahead.

‘The most important thing for him is how he develops now. He's got everything going for him but it can easily go away from you if you take your eye on the ball or think you've cracked it,’ Parlour said.

‘You've got to keep pushing yourself. Every player has weaknesses and I'm sure the coaching staff at Arsenal know that and will be pushing him on to work on those. 

‘He has got the world at his feet and they'll keep getting better if he's given more of the same opportunities and keep taking them as they have been.’

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