Former Gunner Jack Wilshere has admitted he’d like to sign Max Dowman or Ethan Nwaneri on loan for Luton Town, and he thinks the coming pre-season will be big for both players.
Jack Wilshere has had a positive first season as a senior manager with Luton Town, winning the EFL Trophy and only narrowly missing out on the promotion play-offs.
Speaking to talkSPORT this week, Wilshere was asked whether he’d like to take Arsenal youngsters Max Dowman or Ethan Nwaneri on loan next year.
“The answer to that is yes!” Wilshere said. “Whoever Mikel doesn’t want, I’ll just call him and ask him.”
Wilshere had good things to say about both players, suggesting Dowman is a unique talent and that Nwaneri will have learned a lot from his loan to Marseille despite his limited minutes.
“I’m sure he will (soon start Premier League games),” Wilshere said of Dowman. “He’s still really young. Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it when I had him in the Under-18s. The talent, the ability to change a game. It was unbelievable
“Ethan is slightly more established and he wanted to go out on loan and get some football (with Marseille). It didn’t quite work out for him but he would have learned so much about real live football.
“He would have learned more than that over in Marseille with how emotional they are and the fans and what they demand. It’s different.”
As for what’s next for the duo, Wilshere thinks they’ll have major opportunities this summer.
“I feel like pre-season is big for both of them,” Wilshere explained. “I used to think like that as a young player, when it gets to pre-season and the off-season you do everything you can to come back and make sure you’re ahead of everyone.
“In pre-season everyone gets a chance, the minutes are shared. Then, it’s down to them to show Mikel and earn a place in his team.
“It will be hard, especially if they go on to be champions because expectation just goes up again. They both have the ability to do it but it’s down to them.”
The World Cup is indeed likely to create chances for Arsenal’s younger players.
If the more senior internationals go the distance at the summer tournament, they’ll arrive back late in pre-season, and the fact the likes of Nwaneri and Dowman are very unlikely to be involved at the World Cup means they should be available from the first training session.
Then it will be a case of proving a point before the others make their comebacks.
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