Ethan Nwaneri earns high praise from Arsenal team-mate amid Mikel Arteta warning
Arsenal's latest academy graduate scored his first league goal against Nottingham Forest and left Riccardo Calafiori to declare he is the most talented 17-year-old the Italian has seen
by Alan Smith · The MirrorRiccardo Calafiori has only known Ethan Nwaneri for four months.
But the full back is in no doubt that the latest academy graduate to have Arsenal fans purring is the most talented 17-year-old he has come across.
Nwaneri became Arsenal’s second youngest ever Premier League goalscorer on Saturday when slotting home the third goal in a performance that showed it is too early to write off their title chances.
And while Mikel Arteta is eager to temper expectations and ensure the teenager is not exposed to too much too soon, Calafiori was unable to name a young player he has seen with as much talent.
“No, I don’t think so,” the Italy defender said. “I’ve never seen it. He can be really good. I’m really happy for him. He really deserved it. For me he is a pure talent and for sure you will see more from him on the pitch.”
Nwaneri, who joined Arsenal’s academy aged eight, replaced captain Martin Odegaard in the 81st minute with the result virtually secured and some home fans pondering a quick dash for the exit. But he immediately introduced fresh excitement with a fearless will to push forward.
“You can sense how much the crowd loves watching this kid play and the energy,” Arteta said afterwards.
The Arsenal manager went on to say he is “always tempted” to put Nwaneri in his starting XI but he is mindful of the long-game and need to protect him from overexposure before he is fully developed.
“I’m responsible to build a career for him,” Arteta added. “You have to do that brick by brick. [On Saturday] he put another brick. Now we have to put another cement, make sure it doesn’t get dry so we can put another one and that will stick.
“Then we put one more layer, one more layer. If you want to put five in a row, believe me it won’t work. We have to manage not only his expectations but his load as well, which is really important.”
Equally Calafiori made it clear that Nwaneri’s ability to settle in with the experienced heads in the dressing room is a sign of his maturity. Then again, having made his debut as a substitute aged 15 Nwaneri is more familiar with the surroundings than half the current squad.
Senior players are always there to offer guidance, Calafiori said. “But he doesn’t even need it because he feels a part of us from the first day. I felt the same when I came here. This is our secret.”
Calafiori, meanwhile, declared himself delighted to be back in the fold after a month on the sidelines with a knee injury. He too has assimilated well to life in north London but is now desperate for a regular run in a defence that has been constantly tweaked because of absences.
“It was a tough time,” he said of his enforced break. And the joy at being back in the fold was evident when he celebrated disrupting a rare Forest counterattack with the passion of any goal nearing half-time.
“When you cannot score, this is your goal, your way to score,” he added. “I really enjoyed being on the pitch, I missed this feeling and my team-mates a lot. I want to enjoy everything from now on.”
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