Featured Image Credit: Getty/Sky Sports
Topics: Arsenal, Carabao Cup, Football, Mikel Arteta, William Saliba
Luke Davies
Topics: Arsenal, Carabao Cup, Football, Mikel Arteta, William Saliba
Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri has achieved a new record with a stunning strike in Arsenal's Carabao Cup tie against Preston.
Mikel Arteta chose a relatively strong side for his side's trip to Lancashire, with William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino among the starters.
However, Nwaneri, 17, may have stolen the limelight at Deepdale after he put Arsenal 2-0 up on 33 minutes with a curling left-footed strike from 30 yards out giving Preston 'keeper Freddie Woodman no chance.
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If his wondergoal wasn't enough, the strike meant the youngster became the youngest Arsenal player - 17 years and 223 days - to score in their first two starts for the club, having scored a brace in a 5-1 win against Bolton on September 26.
After the Bolton win, Arteta praised the youngster.
“He’s improving daily," he told Arsenal.com.
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"They [fans] really respect him. You can tell he’s playing without pressure, with confidence, with a way of making decisions that tells you that the boy is ready at this level. Today he had a really strong performance and I’m happy to see that."
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Despite his age, this is not the first time the Arsenal academy product has broken a record. Back in September 2022, he became the youngest player to play in the Premier League, aged 15 years and 181 days, breaking Harvey Elliott's. His appearance against Brentford also meant he became Arsenal's youngest-ever player in any competition, breaking the previous record of 16 years and 177 days, set by former Gunners' midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
So far this season, the Hale End academy graduate has also made four Premier League appearances against Liverpool, Bournemouth, Tottenham and Leicester City and he has not looked out of place as of yet.
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Given Arsenal's hectic fixture schedule with the club competing in the Champions League, Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup, this will surely afford more opportunities for young players like Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Speaking before tonight's tie, Arteta explained how he felt Lewis-Skelly had "earned the right to play".
"He doesn’t care, he plays with full belief, with a lot of commitment, he’s got the qualities that we want in his position, to play outside, to play inside," Arteta said.
"Defensively, he’s a really strong player and where we want him.
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"When a player is like this, I don’t care if he’s from the academy or whatever, we need to give him the opportunities and he’s earned the right to play those games."