Arsenal call up two youngsters to training amid Partey injury blow

Arsenal called up teo of their U-21 squad members to train with the first-team ahead of their clash with Manchester United on Sunday.

Youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Reuell Walters had been summoned by Mikel Arteta to train to the first-team following Thomas Partey's injury ahead of this weekend's showdown with the Red Devils.

Both play for Arsenal's U-21 side in Premier League 2, though Nwaneri actually made his Premier League debut in September 2022, coming off the bench in second-half stoppage time against Brentford.

In doing so, he became the youngest ever player to appear in the Premier League, aged just 15-years-old at the time.

Walters plays as a right-back for the U-21s, but he has not made his first-team debut yet despite being more than two years older than Nwaneri.

The 18-year-old has been in the matchday squad a few times, but he has not been more than an unused substitute so far in his professional career.

Nwaneri is more of an attacking player who can also play centrally, though there is a lot of hype around the youngster, as he has always played in age groups above him, from the academy all the way to the first-team.

The 16-year-old split his time last season between the U-18s and U-21s, but has agreed professional terms this summer to be signed in March 2024, his seventeenth birthday.

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It remains to be seen whether either of these youngsters will be selected in Sunday's matchday squad, but following the absence of Thomas Partey, the chances of either of their inclusions are now higher.

Walters could be included as cover at right-back, or Nwaneri could be brought in to bring a spark into midfield off the bench.

Either way, these players have generated a lot of hype among the Arsenal fanbase and if they get a chance to get on the pitch on Sunday, the fans will love it.