Mikel Arteta not afraid to hand Ethan Nwaneri first Arsenal start at Tottenham
Mikel Arteta would not fear handing Ethan Nwaneri his first start for Arsenal in Sunday’s north London derby.
Arsenal are facing a midfield crisis ahead of their trip to Tottenham this weekend, with Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino out due to injury.
Declan Rice is also suspended, which is forcing Arteta into a rethink and Nwaneri is one of the possible solutions.
The 17-year-old has been tipped for big things at Arsenal, but he is yet to start a senior game for them.
Arteta, however, believes Nwaneri has the potential to “shine” and isn’t afraid of giving youngsters like him a chance – even ahead of a big game like Spurs.
“We have to adapt to that throughout the season,” said Arteta. “We are going to have this kind of situation.
“It has happened very early, since the second game. The bench against Brighton was very different to the one we probably all expected.
“We have to face it and use the opportunity as the kids have given us a lot of hope and right reasons to count on them. If we have to then we will, for sure.”
Nwaneri has long been tipped for the top by those at Arsenal and Arteta has praised the work of academy staff to get him to the level he is now.
