Noel Whelan has urged Mikel Arteta to pay close attention to the development of Ethan Nwaneri and help the youngster stay grounded as he develops his career at the club.
The youngster broke the record for the youngest player to feature in a Premier League game when he featured for Arsenal in their 3-0 win against Brentford at the weekend.
The youngster is 15 and breaks Harvey Elliott’s record by almost a year, which is a commendable development.
Often, when these youngsters start their careers so early, they struggle to live up to the expectations placed on them.
Nwaneri could go that way, but with the right coaching and mentoring, he can reach his potential, and Whelan believes Arsenal must develop him well.
He tells Football Insider:
“You are never too old and you are never too young. If you are good enough you are in the side.
“It is now about getting the management right. It is like [Archie] Gray at Leeds United. Both very talented players who need to be looked after and brought through in the right way.
“The guidance from the manager and the team will be vital. They need to keep him level-headed and working hard.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Nwaneri is a top talent and the only reason he got near the Arsenal first team is that he has proven his class in training.
The club has to help him to continue developing well on their books now.
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Another “expert” stating the obvious – I’d love to known what these pundits get paid for doing this, as I read more substantial thinking FROM most of those who participate within JA.
Send him to Olympique Marseille right away…IJS 😁
I wasnt a fan of his cameo on Sunday. Great story but it creates too many expectations both from fans and from Nwaneri’s camp. Don’t care how talented he is, in my opinion 15 is too young for this level of scrutiny.
DON’T YOU THINK MA HAS A FAR BETTER OPINION AND CHANCE OF BEING PROVED RIGHT THAN YOU HAVE?
I THINK THAT ANYWAY!
Yes (in future you can take it as read that if I have a football opinion that is not the same as Arteta’s, I will invariably concede that he has a far better chance of being right than I do)
Welcome realism then! I do not mean to be narky with you but how are you possibly in any position to judge a 15 years old’s readiness or not
THAT IS ALL I WAS TRYING TO SAY.
ON OTHER MATTERS, THEN WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN OPINIONS AND ARE FREE TO GIVE THEM, YOU AND ME AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE AND WE CAN BE AND OFTEN ARE WRONG. ME INCLUDED.
NO offence meant to you Voyageur!
If the Cameo on Sunday is the start of this lad playing more this season because of his talent, then that is great. If it wasn’t and we dont see him any more this season then, it was plain silly. A 15 year old has to be special to feature in the prem and it can be damaging to put so much pressure on a school kid too soon. It will be interesting to see where and how much he features from now on but lets not push him too soon unless he is a prodigious talent above all others.
What all the critics of this move are missing is a chance to make a cameo may be a reward for hard work and/or reaching a certain goal in terms of progress in the academy. I assume he is a level headed kid. There will be pressure for his entire journey as a footballer, with or without this cameo.
Frank, Precisely, yes!
And as he came on only in injury ,when the game was effctively won in a 100% guarantee, the boost to his AND to other aspiring youngsters confidence is significant.
MA, being a wise man, of course knows that vey well. But CERTAIN fans have never given this rather obvious fact, even a passing thought. C’est la vie!