Mikel Arteta has called on Ethan Nwaneri to show a response to recent criticism from loan manager Habib Beye, suggesting it could be a good thing for the player’s career.
Ethan Nwaneri was once again named on the bench for Marseille last weekend, his 10th consecutive game not in the starting lineup under new manager Habib Beye.
Nwaneri is yet to start a single match under the Senegalese coach, and that doesn’t seem likely to change based on Beye’s pre-match comments on Sunday.
“He’s a quality player, but he has to give us way more in his day-to-day commitment,” Beye said (via GFFN). “Other players gave way more.”
In response to those comments, Mikel Arteta told his press conference on Friday that Beye would know better than him how Nwaneri is doing on loan, but that the criticism could ultimately prove positive for the youngster.
“I think that’s the coach’s opinion, he’s with him every single day,” Arteta said. “He’s the one making the decision. He’s the one that sees and understands better what he’s doing, and Ethan has to respond to that in the right way.
“It’s the same place that William Saliba was there, same club. And the outcome, let’s see. Maybe it’s the best thing that can happen for Ethan, for his career. Maybe, we don’t know.”
Things are not going well for Marseille at the moment, as they’ve slipped out of the Champions League qualification places and down into sixth, which would only earn them a Europa Conference League qualifying play-off next season.
With AS Monaco just two points behind them in seventh, Marseille appear more likely to drop further down the table than to regain a top-four spot in their final three matches.
Yet in spite of Marseille’s struggles, or perhaps because they’re so desperate for results, Nwaneri has had to settle for cameo appearances in recent weeks.
Whether the overall experience turns out to be a positive one depends on how Nwaneri responds, as Arteta suggests. The club are next in action on Saturday afternoon away to Nantes at 14:00 BST.
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