Alex Marciniak’s scholarship contract at Arsenal expires at the end of June and we are still no closer to knowing whether the youngster will still be at the club beyond then.
However, Marciniak made a significant impact as a substitute for Arsenal U18s in their 3-0 victory away to Reading yesterday to boost his chances of securing a professional contract.
The 18-year-old, who can play as a left winger or an attacking midfielder, scored two impressive goals.
Arsenal’s other goal was scored by schoolboy Emerson Nwaneri, who followed in the footsteps of his brother Ethan by finding the net for the U18s against Reading.
The game was also notable for a substitute appearance from Mikel Arteta’s son Gabriel.
A 16-year-old winger, Arteta isn’t officially contracted to the club but has featured at U17 level this campaign.
With regards to Marciniak, it is clear that the prospect has a lot of ability, especially technically, but he has found consistency hard to come by at times.
The Wales youth international has played for Arsenal at U21 level and it will be interesting to see whether the club look to retain his services ahead of next season.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird