TNT Sports pundits Martin Keown and Joe Cole sang Ethan Nwaneri’s praises after the youngster’s Player of the Match performance for Arsenal against Leicester City on Saturday.
Though Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a brace for Arsenal against Leicester City on Saturday, it was Ethan Nwaneri who earned the Player of the Match award.
It can’t be often that a player scores a brace in a 2-0 win and doesn’t win Player of the Match, but that was a testament to Nwaneri’s performance across the full 90 minutes.
The 17-year-old hit the woodwork twice with a couple of shots from difficult angles, and he assisted the first of Merino’s two goals.
There was more to his game than just end product, with the teenager completing seven of eight attempted dribbles, completing 91% of his passes, and winning 13 of 16 individual duels.
Speaking after the game, former Gunner Martin Keown and ex-England international Joe Cole had plenty of nice words to say about Nwaneri.
“He’s looked so assured, for such a young man, he steps in and makes the right pass,” Keown said. “His decision-making is different class.
“Everything he did, his skill-set, the pace, he’s assured in possession, he’s confident, he’s determined. He hits one off his left foot, hits one just as well off his right foot. It’s all there under the bonnet, waiting to come out. Now he has a platform.”
“He’s a strong little thing as well,” Cole added. “You can’t mark him, because he can go both ways. Kristiansen got stood up a couple of times.
“You know what, these touches he produces in and around the box, these little tiny touches…I don’t even want to say it, but it’s like Messi. I don’t want to put any more pressure on the kid’s shoulders [but] I’m sure he’ll deal with it.”
Along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri is really establishing himself as a first-team player at Arsenal now. There are rumours circulating about a potential senior England call-up for Lewis-Skelly, and it wouldn’t be too unexpected if Nwaneri is next in line for a promotion.
With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli still likely to miss another month of football, Nwaneri has a key role to play with Mikel Arteta’s side before that March break.