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Arsenal youth coaches Per Mertesacker and Jack Wilshere have shared their thoughts about the recent debut of Academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri.
THE LOWDOWN: RECORD BREAKER
Nwaneri smashed all records when he made his debut for Arsenal in the 3-0 win at Brentford before the international break. The teenager became the youngest player in English top-flight history.
In addition, he also became him Arsenal’s youngest ever player in all competitions – aged 15 years and 181 days. He also surpassed Harvey Elliot as the youngest Premier League player, and broke a record that had stood since August 1964 – the youngest player in all of top-flight football in this country.
THE LATEST: PROUD MOMENT FOR THE ACADEMY
The recent debut handed to Nwaneri by Mikel Arteta has once again reiterated his faith in the club’s youth policy according to academy manager Per Mertesacker.
“Mikel gave everyone a powerful message,” he said. “I have to say how much it trickled down. I’ve seen videos of the under-9, under-10 squads cheering Ethan on at Hale End when he came on. Players that would start the same journey as he did, in the grassroots academy, were cheering him on. So suddenly he has been escalated to be a role model and a positive influence for young players.”
“It’s just brilliant to see, that’s what we are proud of, that we can show progression, that we can show pathways. It was a very proud moment, first of all for himself and his family. It’s a reflection as well of what this club is about, what the academy is about.
“A lot of youngsters entering the academy have the dream of playing for Arsenal Football Club and he made that dream come true. It was a proud moment for us as an academy.”
Former midfielder Jack Wilshere, who was aged 16 and 256 days when he made his debut for Arsenal against Blackburn Rovers in 2008, is Arsenal’s current under-18 coach, says he is pleased with what Ethan has achieved.
“We need to give a lot of credit to everyone at Hale End,” Jack said. “Everyone that’s helped him and supported him over the years. There are some people who are really proud, and I’m one of them, but I’ve been around for a couple of months, and a little bit last season.
“So let’s thank everyone down at Hale End for their support and their hard work. Now he’s part of my team, one of my players, so I will give him all the support and guidance he needs.”
And Jack, having being there done that before, offers his own advice to the young lad as he begins his journey to greatness.
“One thing that I learnt pretty quickly – maybe not quickly enough but looking back now I realise it – is there are a lot of people at the club who have his best interests at heart,” Jack added.
“He has to listen to them. He has to somehow block out the noise. I know he has a good family around him, which was important in my case as well. Keep his feet on the ground. But he is the type of kid that will do that. He’s a really driven boy.
“I think that [giving young players a chance] is part of the tradition of Arsenal Football Club.
“It was a big day for the whole club and hopefully we can use it as inspiration for the boys at Hale End, but also for the boys here who get to experience training every day and trying to push with our first team.”
THE VERDICT: TIME TO FOCUS
Ethan may have set all those records, but he needs to focus on playing at the moment. Per and Wilshere have shared from their experience and he needs all the right guidance if he is to make a name for himself in North London.
