Arsenal have had a number of academy products become stars for England in recent years.
Bukayo Saka is now one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Three Lions, while Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah both got England caps during their time at Arsenal.
Now, Arsenal have a few more young players knocking on the door of Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been tipped for an England call-up in recent times, while Ethan Nwaneri is a future international in the eyes of many.
Thomas Tuchel will announce his first England team next week, and he has a big call to make with Nwaneri.
Nwaneri has been brilliant as of late, but, at the age of just 17, there’s an argument to make that it’s too soon for the Arsenal ace.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Troy Deeney has been discussing Nwaneri’s rise, and he’s reserved some special praise for the teenager.
Troy Deeney hails Ethan Nwaneri
Deeney spoke highly of Nwaneri, making quite the claim about the youngster.
The pundit said that Nwaneri has actually been better than Phil Foden this season, while he also made a comparison to Jack Wilshere.
Foden has been criticised this season, while Nwaneri has been hailed as a star.
“He has this confidence, this air of ‘give me the ball.’ I don’t like to compare players, because it’s really different, but very much Jack Wilshere, when Wilshere got into that Arsenal team as a kid it was like ‘my god he’s running that team already.’ And I can see that with Nwaneri,” Deeney said.
“The problem now is not if he plays, it’s where does he play and who do we move out for him.
“He’s been better than Phil Foden this year in terms of the course of the season, he’s been better than Rashford and Grealish, there’s so many players you can’t put ahead of him now who used to be shoo-ins.”
Ethan Nwaneri compared to Phil Foden
The fact that there is even a conversation to be had when it comes to comparing Nwaneri and Foden is a huge testament to the Arsenal man’s ability.
Indeed, Foden is the reigning PFA Player of the Year, while Nwaneri is a 17-year-old rookie who is only just getting a run in the Arsenal team.
Nwaneri has been brilliant this season, but it may be a tad hyperbolic to say that he’s been better than Foden, as the stats show.
| Ethan Nwaneri | Phil Foden | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 23 | |
| Goals | 3 | 7 |
| Assists | 1 | 2 |
| Key passes per game | 0.5 | 1.8 |
| Dribbles per game | 1.5 | 0.6 |
| Shots per game | 1 | 2.2 |
Foden is outperforming Nwaneri statistically this season, but there’s no shame in falling short of those sorts of standard.
Tuchel may well want to pick Foden ahead of Nwaneri in his first England squad, but, make no mistake about it, it won’t be long before Nwaneri gets his first shot to showcase his abilities on the international stage.
