Ethan Nwaneri is only really four months into his senior career. It wasn't until January 4, 2025, that he started back-to-back games for Arsenal. That was the point that things really took the next step for him.
Such is the impact he has made, Nwaneri already feels like a regular. He has scored eight times for the club this season in all competitions and is now a regular fixture in the XI, even with Martin Odegaard back.
Nwaneri making his debut at 15 skews the feeling at times. He has only just turned 18, it should not and cannot be forgotten. His birthday was last week. He has been a part of the first-team squad all season but was limited in his Premier League minutes until Mikel Arteta's hand was forced at the turn of the year.
With strong appearances from the bench and increasingly impressive displays in the Carabao Cup, Nwaneri elevated himself to someone who could not be ignored, regardless of age. Arteta spoke about being responsible with Nwaneri, who was drip-fed opportunities carefully.
Some would say there was an overcaution to protect him. On the one hand, Nwaneri's performances suggest that Arteta got it right and that his impact is evidence of good management, preparing him for this moment when he was truly ready. Others could argue that he was ready to play before that and was only held back.
There isn't really a right answer. Nwaneri earned his place on the pitch through the energy, quality, and maturity he showed when he was called on both as a substitute and in the cup. He is still right at the start of his journey but the extent of hype around him can distort just how far ahead on the pathway he is as well.
There is no need to rush Nwaneri but it can also feel something is being missed if he isn't utilised right now when he is clearly this good. It is a tough balance to strike. It is one that Arteta will say he has gotten right, and for good reason.
What is clear is that Nwaneri continues to step up to every level. Be it a first-ever start earlier this season against League One opposition, where he scored his first goals and ran rings around senior professionals, taking on a mentor role for the fresher academy graduates being offered an opportunity despite being younger than most or them, or replacing Bukayo Saka on the right, Nwaneri has never backed down.
He has accepted the challenge and acted like there was nothing untoward here at all. He has been Arsenal's most dangerous player for all of 2025 and perhaps even going back into late 2024 when he offered a spark from the bench more often than not.
There doesn't seem to be anything that phases Nwaneri. Champions League football has been simple for him in the early days and the international game doesn't have any surprises either.
Earlier this month he was named in England's Under-21 squad. He progressed from the Under-19s within 12 months, playing nine times and scoring six goals, assisting another. He is now a Premier League calibre player able to operate off the right, in attacking midfield, or as a No.8.
Nwaneri has so many strings to his bow and showed that when selected by Lee Carsley to start Monday's friendly against Portugal. It took him 10 minutes to find his zone on the outside of the box, taking a touch inside on his left foot, driving towards the edge of the 'D' and then bending a shot around the defender in front of him and into the goal.
Up went his finger in typical Nwaneri style. It is a goal that is already becoming somewhat of a trademark for him. The celebration is as well.
Nwaneri scored a similar goal against Preston North End in the League Cup earlier this season. That one was from further out and got lashed into the top corner. His strike to round off the 5-1 win over City wasn't too far away either.
Away at Brighton and in a 3-0 victory over Forest he has shown the ability to go down the line instead, using his right foot. It is a variance to his game that has quickly made him impossible to predict or stop
Nwaneri has the tools and footwork to create space and exploit it in the blink of an eye. "I think it’s definitely a finish that he’s got," said Carsley afterwards. "Noni’s [Madueke] got the same finish where everyone knows exactly what’s gonna happen, but you just cannot stop it. So you know he’s gonna go, touch, finish and he took his goal so well.
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - MARCH 24: Ethan Nwaneri of England runs during the Men's U21 international match between England and Portugal at The Hawthorns on March 24, 2025 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
"But what we have to keep remembering, he’s 18, like [it is] unbelievable. So we just have to encourage these guys, it’s important the rest of the team support him as well because I’m not sure it’s always gonna be as progressive as it is."
On the same night, England's senior team under Thomas Tuchel beat Latvia 3-0. Nwaneri had been an outsider to leapfrog the junior system. Instead, his Arsenal teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly got the nod.
In this form, Nwaneri will be hard for Tuchel to ignore for long. He is already on the radar but is nine months younger than Lewis-Skelly. If he doesn't get the senior call-up before the end of the season then it will be all eyes on the Under-21 European Championship over the summer instead. Either way, it is an impressive rise.
"But God, what an impression he’s made," Carsley added. "It’s important that we look after him and make sure that, going to the tournament in the summer, is that the right thing. We’ll obviously we’ll work with Arsenal and make sure that we’re on the same page."
Nwaneri would be right to have his sights set further up the food chain. He is going to be very tough for Tuchel to leave out for much longer at the current rate and, as he has done before, looks ready for the next stage again.
At 14., he was too good for the Under-16 team. When he was 15 he graduated from the Under-17s. He skipped the Under-18s entirely and is already beyond the Under-19s.
England's Under-21 side would have a decent chance of getting out of the World Cup qualification group, it is that good. The most recent squad included Jarrad Branthwaite (valued at £75million by Everton), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (sold for £20million by Manchester City), Rico Lewis, Elliot Anderson (signed for £30million by Nottingham Forest), Jamie Gittens (valued at £50million by Borussia Dortmund), Archie Gray (signed for £30million by Tottenham), Adam Wharton (went to Euro 2024 over the summer), Jack Hinshelwood (regular starter for Brighton), Liam Delap (sold for £20million last summer and now valued at over £45million by Ipswich Town), Omari Hutchinson (sold for £20million by Chelsea), and James McAtee, a jewel in the City academy.
That is the sort of standard on show and Nwaneri more than fits in. It is still early days, and the options available for Carsley as well as Tuchel does provide a block for Nwaneri. Morgan Gibbs-White only made the senior squad because Cole Palmer dropped out and Saka is injured.
There is an abundance of players with more senior experience and a much larger portfolio ahead of Nwaneri. That won't stop him targeting another stride forward. When it comes, he'll be ready.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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