It has been a memorable season for Ethan Nwaneri and it ended in impressive fashion, with the Arsenal youngster being part of the England U21 squad that won the European Championship at that age group.
Nwaneri was brought on in extra-time as England won 3-2 against Germany in the final. Lee Carsley’s side established a two-goal lead and were pulled back to 2-2 but Jonathan Rowe scored what proved to be the winner.
The youngest member of the England squad at the age of 18, Nwaneri was involved in each of his team’s matches throughout the tournament.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Nwaneri as he wasn’t able to command a regular place in the starting lineup and was used in various different positions at times – including right-wing, attacking midfield and as a striker.
However, the Hale End product still showed some glimpses of his undoubted quality and he will now get some time to rest following a season in which he also played 37 times for Arsenal.
With regards to the international stage, Nwaneri will hope to get into the England senior squad in the near future but it could well be the case that he will be afforded more time to develop with the U21s first.
It will also be intriguing to see how he is used at Arsenal next season both in terms of how much playing time he receives and which position he is deployed in.
Winning the U21 Euros is a key honour for Nwaneri and he will hope that further silverware will soon follow.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird