Arsenal Star Declan Rice expects Ethan Nwaneri to remain an important part of the Gunners side – even when Bukayo Saka returns from an injury.
Nwaneri collected the right side of the front three, while Saka brought himself back from hamstring operation. The teenager scored a memorable goal in the 5-1 Premier League victory on Manchester City in February and played a leading role against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.
He was one of the six different scorers when Arsenal won a record-breaking 7-1 win in Philips Stadium. Martin Odegaard scored twice, while there was a goal for Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori.
With Saka, Nwaneri should not return after the international break, should have a role to play against Manchester United in the competition and the second stage at PSV on Sunday. However, Rice expects that he will remain a large part of the setup for longer.
“Top. He is 17 years old and he is on the biggest stage,” Rice told Amazon Prime Sport after the victory, which brings Arsenal a step closer to a quarterfinals against Atletico Madrid of Real Madrid.
'We took them [youngsters] Under our wings and they deserve to play. You should see them train in the way they have no fear and want to perform.
“Even if [Bukayo] Saka was here that Ethan would get minutes for minutes because he is so good and works so hard in training. The same with Myles [Lewis-Skelly] Although we have to come for the yellow card tonight, we have so many top young players. “
Speaking at TNT -Sport, the former English and Chelsea star Joe Cole expected a different role for Nwaneri during the business end of the tournament. “Nwaneri I think it will be an absolute genius,” said Cole. “I think he is currently the most exciting young football player in England and maybe even Europe.”
He added: “I just think to myself when Saka and [Gabriel] Martinelli is coming back, I would move it in and play a double 10 with Odegaard. I think he's coming there. With the pace on either side of them, I think they might have a say in the Champions League. “
Nwaneri could also earn a first senior English call-up for the internationals in March against Albania and Latvia. It will be the first team among the new manager Thomas Tuchel, and Cole suggested that the German could immediately turn to the Arsenal star.
“For me I will definitely bring it in,” Cole continued. “He is so good, I don't think he needs the Under-21s. I think he should go with Thomas Tuchel right away, use him, bypass the players, bring him off the couch, bleed him inside.
“He is an English player for the next 10 or 15 years. A great talent, great mentality, he is at the right club for him at the right time and I would be amazed if Thomas Tuchel did not say:” I want to look at him in the short quarters and bring him to the team. ” “
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