The young Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom was promoted to the first team subs bench this year and I have really liked his hunger and positional sense when he has been given a chance on the pitch, and Arsene Wenger obviously sees great promise in the 19 year-old striker.
Although he hasn’t yet scored for the Gunners first team in 7 subs appearances this season, he did manage 15 strikes in his 23 games for our youth sides. It was for this reason that he was picked to play for the England U20 side to play in the ongoing Toulon Tournament, and he has already scored in both games so far, a 3-3 with Morocco and a 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast.
He seems to be really enjoying his football, and is keen to increase his tally. “The tournament has been good so far, each game has brought different challenges and experiences for the team,” Akpom told FA.com. “I’m happy to have scored a couple of goals already in the first two games.
“It’s all about building momentum and we are doing that – hopefully we can get more wins and go far as possible in the tournament. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of Mexico, we’ve had a couple of days break and all the lads can’t wait to play again and we are confident that we can get a result.
“It’s always good to score goals for my club and country, not just for myself but most importantly for the team. Goals are what makes the team win so if I can contribute more that would be nice.”
If Akpom can keep scoring and help England to beat Mexico in the next game they have a really good chance of getting to the Final on June 7th, and maybe also persuade Wenger that he doesn’t need to buy another striker this summer…