There was a hugely significant moment for Marli Salmon this week, with the highly rated young defender making his senior debut as a substitute against Club Brugge.
Salmon became the fourth youngest player in Arsenal’s history (behind Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman and Jack Porter) while he is also the youngest ever defender to play for the club.
Another young defender, Marcell Washington, will also be hoping to feature for the senior side in the near future.
Previously at Chelsea’s academy, Washington signed professional terms with Arsenal in the summer following a successful trial.
Washington trained with the Arsenal first-team prior to the game against Club Brugge but he isn’t eligible to be called up in the Champions League due to the length of time he has been at the club.
The 18-year-old has been the clear first-choice left-back for Arsenal U21s this season, featuring on seven occasions in Premier League 2 and three times in the EFL Trophy. He also contributed with goals against Chelsea U21s and Cardiff. Furthermore, Washington played for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League on three occasions.
Washington, who has been capped by England at U16 level, is the step-son of former Chelsea and England left-back Ryan Bertrand.
He will hope to receive a senior callup at some stage as a measure of his continued progress.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird