Club legend Ian Wright recently met up with Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, discussing the journey from Hale End to first team.
Our academy graduates met Wrighty on the way out to training before sitting down with him to talk all things Arsenal.
“\[Hale End\] is the core,” Lewis-Skelly said. “It’s what made us, the journey, the friendships, the values. Without Hale End we wouldn’t be here, so it’s everything.”
“I was just playing until 15 or 16 and I knew it was serious but it was more like fun,” Nwaneri added. “Then I really started to tap in.
“Mikel’s been the same since I first met him with how demanding he is. The way he trains is what’s changed this club. He wants 100 percent from everyone every day and doesn’t accept anything less, which really helps you as a player."
There’s also a brief chat with academy manager Per Mertesacker about their progress, so press play on the video above to watch how it all happened.
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