“Keep an eye on him” - Theo Walcott says he’s ‘really looking forward to watching’ one Arsenal player
Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has said that he's excited to see the development of Ethan Nwaneri. He pointed out that the youngster had an excellent pre-season and he's 'looking forward to' watching him.
Nwaneri played the entire 90 minutes in the Gunners' 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday, September 26. The 17-year-old scored his first senior goal for the club and then added another as well.
After the game, former Arsenal forward Walcott said about Nwaneri (via TBR Football):
“I’m really looking forward to watching Ethan, I really am because he’s the one player who really lit up the whole place in pre-season, he really did, not just that, his energy around the place, he’s a really good kid so keep an eye on him."
Nwaneri became the youngest-ever player in the Premier League in 2022. He came on as a substitute for Arsenal in a 3-0 win over Brentford on September 18. He has made four senior appearances so far.
Mikel Arteta on Ethan Nwaneri's performance in Arsenal's win over Bolton
The Gunners continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 5-1 win hammering of League One side Bolton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. Manager Mikel Arteta chose to start a number of youngsters like Ethan Nwaneri, Jack Porter, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Declan Rice opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 16th minute before Nwaneri (37', 49') scored a brace. Aaron Collins (53') got one back for the visitors. Raheem Sterling (64') and Kai Havertz (77') then completed the scoring.
In his post-match performance, Arteta was asked about the individual performances of a few players, with one of them being Nwaneri. He answered (via Arsenal.com):
"On the second one, I was really happy for him because he scored. I'm very happy because you know, I know the reaction of his teammates if he wouldn't. So I think overall, again, I think he was really good. I think it was a really strong performance for him.
"I think he really feels part of us. You can tell that he's playing with that confidence, that belief and the understanding of what he needs to do on the pitch so very impressed."
The Gunners have now been drawn against Championship side Preston North End away in the Round of 16 of the EFL Cup. The match will take place around October 28-29.