"I tried to copy what he was doing" - Arsenal teenager names Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne as his childhood idol
Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri recently revealed that Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne was his childhood idol in an interview before Arsenal's Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder said that he used to copy the Belgian's playing style and other nuances growing up.
"Growing up, my idol was definitely De Bruyne. The way that he plays, his passing style, when I was younger I tried to copy what he was doing," said Ethan Nwaneri (via Centre Goals).
Ethan Nwaneri is one of the emerging youngsters in Arsenal. Manager Mikel Arteta revealed that he will get a lot of playing minutes in the upcoming season along with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ayden Heaven. This was because of their impressive performances during Arsenal's pre-season campaign.
“Myles has played a lot of minutes, Ethan as well, Aiden as well, in pre-season. It’s given us a big platform for them to understand how good they are and the options that we have in the squad right now, and for sure they’re going to be training with us,” commented Arteta. [via Arse Blog News].
The Arsenal manager further raved about their attitude, their personalities, how much they wanted, the way they were competing in training. He also elaborated on the importance of nurturing talents from a club's coaching academy before jumping onto the transfer market to sign new players.
Nwaneri has made two senior appearances for Arsenal so far. He was on their pre-season tour this summer.
Manchester City boss confident that Kevin de Bruyne will stay at the club
Kevin De Bruyne has been heavily linked to a move to Saudi Arabia this summer. The 33-year-old has one year left in his contract and has been one of the key players for the Blues for several years now. However, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is confident that De Bruyne will stay at the club.
Speaking before Manchester City's first pre-season game against Celtic on July 24, he commented:
"Kevin isn’t leaving." [via BBC]
Kevin De Bruyne was inspirational despite struggling with injuries for Manchester City last season and ended the season with the Premier League crown. He registered six goals and 18 assists in 26 games across competitions. In 383 appearances for City, Kevin De Bruyne has scored 102 goals and recorded a whopping 170 assists.
Manchester City start their Premier League campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on August 17.