Ethan Nwaneri’s emergence for Arsenal has been a real bright spot in a season that has left them without a massive amount to shout about.
The Gunners trail Liverpool by a massive 15 points with just ten games left to play, with their game in hand over Arne Slot’s side offering little solace.
That leaves the Champions League as the only trophy really left on the table this season for Mikel Arteta, who is ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world right now.
Martin Keown: Don’t rush Ethan Nwaneri into England side
But Nwaneri’s ongoing step up from the Arsenal academy does offer some hope that Arsenal may be able to finally make the step up from second place and get their hands on the Premier League again.
After a couple of appearances from the bench over the past couple of years, 17 year old Nwaneri has been entrusted with more and more football as this season has gone on, particularly in the absence of star man Bukayo Saka.
Nwaneri has been getting regular starts in all competitions since the turn of the new year, with eight goals and an assist to his name from 28 appearances this season. He is ranked at no.12 in FourFourTwo’s list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season.
That has led to calls for England boss Thomas Tuchel to consider fast-tracking Nwaneri up from the under-19s and include Nwaneri in his first England squad for this month’s international break.
But former Arsenal and England centre-back Martin Keown believes Tuchel should hold fire for now lest he risk exposing Nwaneri to too much football too soon.
The Mirror quote Keown as saying: “That’s a concern, that’s a worry. You take it if it comes but if it doesn’t, then he gets a nice bit of time with the manager, resting up between games, so there’s a balance.
“It does one thing for confidence but another for the body. When you’re 17, you’re not even fully developed in terms of your cardiovascular system. You’re not really a man yet.
“There’s still some growing to do, and recently he has looked tired, like he was blowing, and this is normal for a 17-year-old kid. So it might be a time where he needs resting.
“And if he doesn’t make the full squad, does he need to be involved in the U21s? This has got to be sensibly managed between now and the end of the season.”
In FourFourTwo’s view, Keown may have a point.
Both England and Arsenal need to consider Nwaneri’s career longevity as well as what he is able to offer in the immediate term.
There are players who have been able to handle it – Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, for instance, enjoyed long and distinguished careers, while Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka have quickly become stars of the current England side.
But the list of England’s youngest ever players shows a far greater number of players whose careers have stalled still in their 20s.
Michael Owen, Micah Richards, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Lennon, Ross Barkley and Dele Alli were all extremely highly-rated when they made their England debuts as teenagers.
Many of them shone for club and country for a spell, but the mileage in their legs seemed to catch up to them through injuries, loss of form or both.
Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marcus Rashford all meanwhile find themselves fighting a battle not to fall into the same category.
Tuchel will no doubt have had conversation with Arteta about which path is best for Nwaneri at this stage.
