Ethan Nwaneri continues to struggle at Marseille.placeholder image
Ethan Nwaneri continues to struggle at Marseille. | AFP via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has backed the Arsenal youngster to turn his loan move into a positive experience.
Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri was reduced to tears on the pitch after missing a key penalty for Marseille in a Coupe de France fixture against Toulouse on Wednesday night.
As the Gunners took one step closer to the Premier League title with a victory over Brighton, the loanee endured a night to forget in the south of France. Marseille had hoped to cruise past Toulouse in the Coupe de France, with 10 places separating the sides in Ligue 1, but it was not to be the case.
The fixture was sent to penalties with the score 2-2 after normal time. Nwaneri was only put on at half-time and stepped up to take one of the penalties, blazing over the bar to see Marseille dumped out of the tournament.
The French press didn’t hold back with criticism. Le Phoceen, via Arsenal Insider, rated the star a 1.5/10 and wrote: “Brought on to inject some attacking energy, the young player never managed to match the intensity of the match. Too quiet in duels and imprecise in his passing, he quickly gave the impression of being a passive participant rather than an active influence.“
“His touches rarely led to dangerous situations, and he failed to inject the dynamism of Marseille’s attack as hoped. In an already tense atmosphere, his introduction did nothing to change the team’s attacking performance.
“A very difficult appearance that will be remembered as a particularly challenging moment in this match.”
Mikel Arteta speaks out over difficult Ethan Nwaneri loan
It’s turning into a nightmare loan spell for Nwaneri, who had played just 165 minutes of Premier League football over the first half of the season. The Gunners chose to send the winger to Marseille to work under Roberto De Zerbi but the manager has since been sacked.
Nwaneri appeared to be off to a flyer with a goal on his Ligue 1 debut but has since fallen out of the starting XI and failed to score again. Speaking about the loan last month, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “It’s something I can’t control. Once again, it’s a decision that’s part of the game when you’re on loan, and it’s part of a football player’s career.
“So you have to work with different coaches, and it can happen at any time. You can’t control it, you can’t avoid it. Yes, De Zerbi was one of the reasons for the loan to OM. But it was also Marseille, and what Marseille, as a club and environment, brings to Ethan. I think it will remain very positive.”
In other news, Arsenal's next five games compared to title rivals Man City as lead extended.
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