It was certainly an eventful weekend for Ceadach O’Neill.
On Saturday the 17-year-old continued his fine season at U18 level as he found the net in Arsenal’s victory against Birmingham City before being withdrawn at half time.
O’Neill was then spotted linking up with the first-team squad early on Sunday morning and it later emerged that the attacker had been selected as the extra man for the FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic.
There was then another notable moment for the prospect as an injury to Riccardo Calafiori in the warmup saw Bukayo Saka named in the starting lineup at short notice, with O’Neill taking his place on the bench for his first Arsenal senior callup.
O’Neill had the opportunity to warm up in front of the Emirates Stadium crowd and it was a memorable day for the youngster even though he wasn’t able to get on the pitch.
The aim for O’Neill now will be to have further involvement with Mikel Arteta’s squad, although he will be aware that there is still much work to do.
O’Neill already has a professional contract after joining from Linfield in 2024 and it is expected that he will be a full-time member of the U21 squad from next season as he will no longer be eligible for the U18s.
Before then O’Neill will be looking to add to his two competitive appearances for the U21s even though there is a lot of competition for places at that level.
The current first-choice front three for Max Porter’s team consists of Evan Mooney, Andre Harriman-Annous and Brando Bailey-Joseph, with the latter’s position in the team perhaps the most vulnerable at present.
O’Neill will be doing all he can to earn more involvement with the U21s as he looks to build upon his excellent displays at U18 level.
Last season O’Neill was mainly used as a winger for the U18s but he has thrived as a central striker for much of this campaign, catching the eye with his direct running and clinical finishing.
Yesterday gave O’Neill a glimpse of what could lie ahead if he continues to make such stellar progress.