Arsene Wenger has praised Arsenal’s young talent, and has stressed the need to give them chances in the first-team.

This season, we’ve seen a new generation of talent take their first steps in the Arsenal first team.

Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Ben Sheaf, Eddie Nketiah, Josh Dasilva, Matt Macey and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have all featured for the club in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.

The club has since moved to secure the long-term futures of Willock, Nketiah, Macey and Sheaf too. Arsene Wenger believes that these players are the future of the club and should be given every chance to succeed.

“It’s a very exciting bunch of young players,” Wenger said, as reported by Arseblog. “It is very important for Arsenal to continue giving chances to young players we educate here.”

“They went recently to Manchester City and won in a convincing way, and I made that decision a few months ago to try and keep them at the club because I believe they all have futures.

Ainsley Maitland Niles
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal in looks on during the UEFA Europa League group H match between Arsenal FC and Crvena Zvezda at Emirates Stadium on November 2, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Maitland-Niles’ progression from cup team to Premier League starting eleven sets a good example for Arsenal’s other youngsters. Breaking into such an established eleven isn’t easy, but good performances in the cup games and on loan will be rewarded when the chance arises.

Arsenal’s youngsters will have another chance to impress when the club plays West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. They also have the trip to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup to look forward to.

Seeing so many talented young players has been a high point of this season. Hopefully, we’ll see a few more break into the first-team soon.