Nigerian goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, 19, made his non-competitive debut for Arsenal in their first game of the pre-season against Scottish team Hibernian on Tuesday evening.
Fresh from signing a new three-year contract that binds him to the Emirates Stadium outfit until the end of the 2023-2024 season, he was named in the starting lineup for the clash at Easter Road.
In terms of competitive fixtures, Okonkwo was a non-playing substitute when Arsenal faced off with Olympiakos and Villarreal twice in last season's Europa League.
He also traveled with the first team as the third choice goalkeeper several times and trained with the senior players on numerous occasions.
Okonkwo is making his unofficial debut for the Gunners more than ten years after he joined the club.
Apart from the Hale End Academy graduate, another youngster of Nigerian descent who had his own contract issues before committing his future to Arsenal, Folarin Balogun could be given minutes against Hibernian.
Balogun, Arsenal's top scorer in the Premier League 2 last season with nine goals, is among the ten players named on the substitutes bench.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
Photo Credit : arsenal.com
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