Arsenal Training Session
Gabriel Jesus was full of praise for one Arsenal teammate (Picture: Getty)
Gabriel Jesus has described Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri as a ‘killer’ and believes the teenager is the best finisher he has seen in training.
Nwaneri made a name for himself as one of the most exciting young talents in English football having broken into Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad aged just 15 back in 2022.
The midfielder featured 26 times in the Premier League last season, registering four goals and two assists, but found regular minutes harder to come by this campaign.
In January, Nwaneri made the move to Marseille to work under Roberto De Zerbi, but the 19-year-old has not started in the subsequent seven matches since the Italian left the club in mid-February.
But despite his recent lack of starts in France, Gunners striker Jesus has no doubts about Nwaneri’s ability, insisting few teammates have impressed him more in training.
‘He’s a killer in training, Ethan. He’s a killer in front of the goal. He’s a killer. Incredible!’ Jesus said in an interview with Rio Ferdinand.
‘We play a D-zone game, like the coach has the ball and they play to one player on the edge of the box (and we shoot).
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Arsenal Training Session
Gabriel Jesus has been impressed by Ethan Nwaneri (Picture: Getty)
‘And my guy, Ethan, is the best I have seen. Out of 10, nine goals. Even 10 sometimes. He’s a killer.’
Marseille boss challenges Nwaneri to 'adapt' to Ligue 1 demands
Speaking before Marseille’s game against Monaco on Sunday, head coach Habib Beye said: ‘Ethan has great qualities, he’s a great talent who needs to adapt to the intensity of Ligue 1.
‘We saw that when he came on against Lille, he scored but when we analyse his performance overall there are still aspects of his game that need to be much stronger in terms of counter-pressing, his defensive efforts to win the ball back.
‘He seems like the ideal replacement in Mason’s absence but we also have the opportunity to change our system and our playmaking, so we have several choices and choice with quality players.
Olympique de Marseille v Stade Rennais - French Cup 2025/2026
Nwaneri has struggled for starts recently at Marseille (Picture: Getty)
‘Ethan is a young player who needs to understand, arriving at Marseille, he comes from the Premier League, from a big team in the Premier League but he also arrives in Ligue 1 at a very, very high level club and inevitably the adaptation takes a little time.
‘What’s very good is that he scored for the national team. Sometimes with the national team, you get playing time, and that’s very positive for us.’
Jesus was also full of praise for another Gunners youngster Max Dowman, who has broken into the first team this season and scored a memorable goal against Everton prior to the international break.
‘He’s the type of player that is very very good on the ball,’ Jesus said of Dowman.
‘To take the ball from him is really hard and then he can play wide and through the middle, so that’s a good sign. And then he’s strong, very strong.
‘I think he’s a proper English player like Jack [Grealish]. He’s strong and good on the ball.’
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