Mikel Arteta provided some thoughts on the versatility of two members of the squad at Arsenal.
PieroHincapiémade his Premier League début for the Gunners as a left back against Crystal Palace, replacing **Riccardo Calafiori**for the last ten minutes of the match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. His aggression and intensity were visible in that cameo, and Arteta expects him to bring these qualities to the field, whether he operates as a fullback or in a more central position.
Meanwhile, Ethan Nwaneri has earned minutes exclusively as an attacking midfielder this season. His breakthrough into the first team arrived at the turn of the year as a deputy for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right wing. However, the manager feels that the teenager is maturing more into his game, and his impressive displays as a replacement for Martin Odegaard offer signs of what is to come.
“[Piero] is a warrior; he's going to bring such intensity, physicality, and emotion to the team as well. He’s quality on the ball; he's a player who is super keen. He can play inside, he can play in wide positions, he's done it, as you said, in different ways, and now we need to get him up to speed because the moment that physically he's at his best, he's going to raise the level.
“[With Ethan], the context of Bukayo’s injuries and not having a replacement opened that opportunity for him to break in and have a lot of minutes at his age. Now that he is more settled, he's more stable, more mature, we see him a lot playing inside in both positions, that's where his biggest threat is.
“That's where he feels most comfortable, and he can connect better with teammates. It doesn't mean that he cannot play wide. He can do it still, but we need to start developing more in one position.”