Last night’s Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town is an occasion that most people associated with Arsenal will want to forget about very quickly, but it was still a significant event for Ceadach O’Neill.
The 18-year-old made his competitive senior debut for Arsenal, with his involvement having been on the cards for some time after he was named on the bench last campaign and then impressed in pre-season.
O’Neill was deployed on the left wing against Fleetwood and, although not everything that he tried came to fruition, there were still some positive moments from the Northern Ireland international, which included an impressive cross in the build-up to Viktor Gyokeres’ goal.
Having been withdrawn during the second half, O’Neill watched on as Arsenal were knocked out on penalties.
Arsenal’s elimination will be especially frustrating for O’Neill as he would have been likely to feature in future rounds and there may not be many more opportunities for youngsters until the FA Cup starts and Sabah visit Emirates Stadium in the Champions League in January.
O’Neill, who can also play in midfield or as a striker, will hope to remain around the first-team and continue to make good progress after excelling at youth level last season.
A loan spell could well be on the horizon in the near future but last night will be seen as a step forward for O’Neill despite the disappointing overall outcome.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on X @jeorgebird