Arsenal’s academy is up there with the best in the world.
Hale End has produced several exceptional talents over the years, and a few of them have become huge stars in the first team.
Arsenal have saved millions thanks to them, while the Gunners have made some money by selling some others in recent seasons as well.
Declan Rice has seen the quality of some of those players since he joined Arsenal, and he has now had his say on one of them.
Declan Rice hails Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri
Ethan Nwaneri has been magnificent for Arsenal this season.
The teenager, who turned 18 just a few days ago, wasn’t expected to start too many games this season, but injuries opened the door for him to become a regular.
Nwaneri has scored eight goals in 1079 minutes for the Gunners this term, and he has impressed everyone whenever he has played.
Rice has watched Nwaneri in action on the training ground regularly over the last 18 months, and the youngster has blown him away.
The former West Ham man now wants his England teammates to see how good Nwaneri is once he gets called up to the senior side.
Rice said on BBC 5 Live: “It’s unbelievable times. I can’t even talk highly enough of Ethan [Nwaneri] as well.
“Just wait until, hopefully, he gets into the team and the lads get to see him because he’s a special talent.”
READ MORE: Declan Rice react after seeing what Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri did for England U21s
Declan Rice delivers verdict on Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman
Nwaneri has been the talk of the town at Arsenal, along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, and the two teenagers completely deserve the praise they have been receiving.
Soon, Arsenal are likely to have another talented young player come through and make a name for himself on the biggest stage – Max Dowman.
The 15-year-old has been earning a lot of plaudits from across the country, and Rice has now joined that list by claiming that he is the best player of his age in England right now.
He said in the same interview: “Max is the best 15-year-old in the country. I’ve had so many texts about Max recently, where people have just watched him, saying: ‘Wow, what a talent.’
“So he’s one to watch out for, but at 15, there’s still such a long way to go. You can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean at 18 you’re going to be.
“So you need to be hungry, keep working, keep pushing. I speak with Max a lot; he knows that and has such a good family around him. He’s unreal.”
