It is a challenging time at present for the Arsenal youth setup, certainly in terms of results, but for one first year scholar there have been some notable events over the past few days.
Having scored his first goal for the U18s with a close-range header in the defeat to Aston Villa, forward Marley Frohock was able to tick off another milestone yesterday.
Frohock, along with defenders Abraham Owusu-Gyasi and Josh Tahou, received his first callup to the Arsenal U19 squad for the UEFA Youth League game away to Slavia Prague.
None of the trio entered the fray in the 5-1 defeat but it was still a beneficial experience for Frohock to travel with the team and he will hope to be called up again in the competition in the near future.
A quick and skilful attacker, Frohock is now mainly seen as a central striker but he is also capable of playing out wide.
Signed as a schoolboy, the youngster scored with regularity at various levels and helped the U16s to win the Premier League Cup last season, which included him finding the net against Chelsea in the final.
Since signing his scholarship in the summer Frohock has had to be patient as he looks to establish himself in the U18 squad.
Although Andre Harriman-Annous is playing at higher levels, there is still competition for the central striking berth with Ceadach O’Neill and Kyran Thompson capable of playing there. Louis Zecevic John, who hasn’t played for the U18s this season due to injury, is another option when fit.
As the campaign progresses Frohock will hope that he will receive further chances to make an impact.