Mikel Arteta said a “gut feeling” led him to make Ethan Nwaneri the Premier League’s youngest player after he brought the 15-year-old on as a late substitute in the win at Brentford.
The midfielder, who is only 15 years and 181 days old, surpassed Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who made his English top-flight debut for Fulham in May 2019 at the age of 16 years and 30 days.
Nwaneri entered the game with three minutes remaining as Arsenal won comfortably at the Gtech Community Stadium. The victory lifts them to the top spot in the Premier League going into the break.
What Did Arteta Say About Ethan Nwaneri?
A number of elite Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea, are said to have developed a great deal of interest in Nwaneri.
However, according to Arsenal manager Arteta, the young player now has a chance to showcase his abilities with the Gunners.
“It was a pure gut feeling, I met the kid and I liked what I saw,” said Arteta.
“He has trained a couple of times with us and I had a feeling yesterday that if the opportunity came I would do it.
Aged 15 years and 181 days, Ethan Nwaneri becomes the youngest player in #PL history! 🤩#BREARS | @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/7gepwExUaD
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 18, 2022
“But I think it sends a strong message about who we are as a club. I told him yesterday he would be with us and he had to be ready. He is ready.
“When he went on I said ‘congratulations and enjoy it. I don’t know what it is. When I met him, when I looked at him, I had that feeling.”
Arteta underlined that Arsenal will continue to provide young talent first-team opportunities. The Gunners manager revealed he also wants to put the club’s interests first.
“We want to give opportunities,” the Spanish coach mentioned. “When there is talent and personality and when players love what they do, and when they have no fear, the doors are open for them to explore where they can go.
“All the decisions that we take, that I take, are for the club. It’s not for me, it’s not for the player.
“It’s because we believe he has a talent that has to be developed incredibly in the next few years. And we’ll see how we manage that.
“Normally it’s not us, normally the players tell you and they mind you, how far you can go on that.”
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