Arsenal first-team stars Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud love youngster Alex Iwobi, according to the Nigerian’s father.
Iwobi made his third international appearance for Nigeria against Egypt on Friday in the Eagles’ African Cup of Nations qualifying group game.
It followed a two-week period in which the Arsenal academy product made his first Champions League start, against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and his first Premier League start against Everton, in which he scored his maiden senior goal for the club.
The 19-year-old’s uncle is former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers player Jay-Jay Okocha, but his father, a lawyer named, Chuka, has had his say on the attacker’s progress with the Gunners this season, revealing how much the Arsenal players admire his son.
His father told The Sun: “Alex is very humble and if you listen to everything Arsene Wenger has said about him, one thing he stresses is Alex’s humility.
“The senior players like Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck and Giroud love him for his attitude, his humility and that he has a listening ear.
“Arsene Wenger is a very technical manager and that definitely plays to Alex’s strength.”
Wenger has come into criticism this season, with a lack of signings in the summer causing frustration at the Emirates along with a downturn in results in 2016 so far, but his faith in Iwobi has been a real positive for fans.
Against Everton, Iwobi recorded two shots on target, including his 42nd- minute strike, he created one chance and completed 28 passes as Arsenal came away with a 2-0 victory.
He demonstrated his on-pitch intelligence in his positioning and awareness when starting attacks whilst linking up with the likes Ozil and lone forward Danny Welbeck.
As the game went on, however, Iwobi’s passing became less accurate, going from a pass accuracy of 81% in the first half to 67% in the second half – something to focus on in training ahead of the Gunners’ next league game against Watford.
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