The manager of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, has given young player Ethan Nwaneri instructions to keep exhibiting “ambition, determination, and quality” in order to gain more playing time for the Gunners after the commencement of their friendly triumph against Manchester United.

Before being replaced by Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand in the second half of the 2-1 triumph in Los Angeles, the 17-year-old prodigy made an impression. For the upcoming Premier League season, Arteta is presently assessing his team.

Nwaneri is one of the most exciting young players to come out of the club’s academy in recent years, and big things are expected of him. In February of last year, he made one appearance for Arsenal in their 6-0 victory over West Ham, coming on in the 77th minute. He intends to continue to be successful in this campaign.

At the age of 15 and 181 days, he became the youngest player to play in the Premier League when he came off the bench against Brentford during the 2022–23 season, setting a new record for Arsenal.

After joining the club at the age of nine, Nwaneri has scored ten goals in the Premier League 2 last season, showcasing his amazing finishing abilities in the junior teams.

Nwaneri’s performance versus United pleased Arteta, who also hinted that if Nwaneri kept up her present level of play, she would see more playing time in the future. Additionally, he made a suggestion that he might play in the game against Liverpool the following week.

“Players always have the last say, so show off your skills.” Show that you have aspirations, tenacity, and quality, and things will work themselves out. He’ll be back with us tomorrow for further training, and if he keeps up this level of performance, he’ll definitely get some minutes on Wednesday.

An wealth of energy marked Nwaneri’s first-half effort, which was capped off by an assist to Jesus, who was able to tap in to tie the score.

But he wasn’t the only child that attracted attention. The 17-year-old defender Ayden Heaven received plaudits from Arteta for his outstanding defensive performance, even though he made an early error that allowed Rasmus Hojlund to score the game’s first goal.

I don’t know how many athletes, even at seventeen, could pull that off on a platform this size. He said, “It is possible; he has lost a duel against one of the strongest and fastest players in the world.”

But his next reaction, poise, demeanour, and body language were all outstanding. I couldn’t be happier with him.

After friendlies against Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and Lyon, Arsenal will now get ready for their Premier League start against Wolves at home on August 17. Arsenal’s game-winning goal was scored by Gabriel Martinelli.