Arsenal academy chief Mertesacker reckons Nwaneri has potential to excel in pocket areas like Odegaard

Arsenal academy chief Per Mertesacker reckons that Ethan Nwaneri has the potential to excel in pocket areas like club skipper Martin Ødegaard.

Nwaneri is one of the Gunners prodigious talents and has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the first team, though he is yet to be given ample minutes by Mikel Arteta.

With Ødegaard injured, one would have thought that he would be given enough minutes, but the reverse has been the case as the England youth international is still waiting for his first Premier League start.

Regardless of his current status, the 17-year-old is expected to succeed at Arsenal, and the recent remark from Mertesacker speaks volumes of how he is highly revered.

The Gunners Academy chief has reckoned that Nwaneri can excel in pocket areas, which is the vacuum behind the opposition press like Ødegaard.

"In Ethan’s case you see where he will develop and actually transfer his game into those pocket areas, like Martin Odegaard,” Mertesacker told The Athletic

Not only does he have to excel in pocket areas as expected of an attacking midfielder, but he also has to quickly develop other facets of his game to get the full trust of Arteta.

He is in contention to be handed his second start for the Gunners in the round of 16 Carabao Cup fixture with Preston North End at Deepdale tonight.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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