Mikel Arteta has assured Ethan Nwaneri that he will have another opportunity to showcase his talents following an impressive display in Arsenal's pre-season victory over Manchester United.
After a stalemate against Bournemouth earlier this week, Arsenal ramped up their preparations ahead of the new campaign with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Arteta has now handed Nwaneri successive starts against Premier League sides Bournemouth and Manchester United so far this preseason. In fact, the 17-year-old has arguably been the Gunners' best performer in both matches, proving that the teenager is prepared for first-team action.
Alongside Nwaneri, Ayden Heaven has also started both games for the north Londoners. While Heaven has faced a challenging introduction to this level of competition, Nwaneri has appeared at ease on the field.
The England under-17 international played as Arsenal's left-sided number eight against Manchester United, a position that has remained open since Granit Xhaka's departure.
Although Declan Rice has made the most of his time in the advanced role last season, there is now a case to be made for Nwaneri to earn starting spots, potentially allowing Rice to revert to a deeper position.
When asked about his plans for the youngster this season in his post match press conference, Mikel Arteta delivered an interesting response: "It’s always in the hands of the players, so show what you can do.
"Show that ambition, that determination, that quality and things will happen naturally. Tomorrow he’s going to train with us again and if he continues to play like that he’s going to play some minutes on Wednesday for sure."
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Mikel Arteta has showered additional praise on young defensive talent, Heaven, who bounced back impressively after a mistake that allowed Hojlund to score.
Arteta added: "At 17, I don’t know how many players are able to do that on a stage like this. He’s lost a duel against one of the strongest and fastest players in the world, it can happen.
"But the reaction afterwards, the composure, the quality, the body language that he had were all remarkable. I’m really happy with him."
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