Ethan Nwaneri has been a shining light of Arsenal’s season, thrust into the limelight courtesy of his own quality in combination with the harsh injury environment the club has dealt with over the course of the campaign. Turning 18 on Friday, Nwaneri follows teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly into adulthood, and will finally be able to join the senior team in the same dressing room.
Mikel Arteta had previously explained that the pair had to change separately. This was due to Nwaneri’s age but he will join the group now on matchdays as one collective.
"When you see those two [Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri] walking next to each other, talking to each other, there is a bond there and a chemistry there," Arteta said ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle.
"I imagine for them it is special because at the moment they are still in different dressing rooms. So to have somebody close to him that has that trust, that confidence, that link, I think it is lucky."
Joining him in the changing rooms soon will be Bukayo Saka, who has been missing since the end of the last year with a major hamstring injury. However, he has been working incredibly hard to make it back in time for after the international break.
Arteta is hopeful that he could have a part to play in April, which, of course, includes the two Champions League ties against Real Madrid. In his stead, Nwaneri has owned the right wing slot and excelled, scoring against Brighton, Girona, Manchester City and PSV.
But he also provided the vital assist for one of Mikel Merino’s goals against Leicester City. He has added the technical ability lost by Saka’s absence, but interestingly was dropped against Chelsea in favour of Gabriel Martinelli, who has also returned from injury.
Many have felt that Nwaneri’s form would see him continue even after Saka returned, but even before that point he may have lost his place. Is this a bad sign for the future?
Of course not. It is easy to forget that Nwaneri has indeed just turned 18 and that integration into a side at the level of Arsenal at such an age remains incredibly rare - even amidst an injury crisis.
Perhaps because he made his competitive debut at just 15, the sense of familiarity extends that much further in our memories, when in reality he remains levels behind the likes of Saka. When Saka does come back in and even with Martinelli in the side, Nwaneri's quality will keep earning him minutes.
On his side is his versatility that means he can play as an attacking midfielder and off the left. Arteta has even suggested he could have a future to play in a position which the Gunners are in vital need of quality in the future.
"Ethan can play as a right-attacking midfielder, a left-attacking midfielder," Arteta explained. "He can play as a right winger and there is another position I think he can develop into - No9.
"He has got the goal in front of him and he looks at the goal and he has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net."
The point about the left attacking midfielder is also interesting because many have suggested the dynamic of Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard is a little too lacking in attacking potential. But what if one of Rice or Partey played the deeper role with both Odegaard and Nwaneri partnering in an attacking pair instead?
This could significantly improve the attacking output for certain matches where Arsenal are expected to be more dominant while keeping Saka and Martinelli on the flanks with maybe a new striker in the central role. Time will tell, but fans should not fear that Nwaneri's era in the limelight will end before it truly gets going – it is all part of the plan.
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