Arsenal 17-year-old Omari Benjamin made his debut and scored for the Wales u19s on Thursday.

Having only turned 17 in December, Arsenal’s Omari Benjamin is still eligible for u17 football for club and country. But for various reasons, the striker has ended up playing above that level a lot this campaign.

Benjamin has impressed for the Arsenal u18s, scoring 11 u18 Premier League goals and two FA Youth Cup goals in just 16 games between the two competitions.

But with all the loans and injuries in the Arsenal u21s, Benjamin has also stepped up to play for Mehmet Ali’s side on a number of occasions recently.

That experience at u21 level has seemingly encouraged Wales to promote the youngster to their u19 team, and Benjamin made a start against Scotland on Thursday.

Wales ended up winning the friendly match 2-1, with Benjamin scoring their second goal.

This isn’t the first time Benjamin has played above his age group in youth internationals.

As mentioned, the Arsenal teenager is still young enough to play for the Wales u17s, but he made his debut at that level all the way back in 2021, when he was just 15.

It’s all good experience for the young striker, ahead of the u18s’ big game against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium on Benjamin’s return.