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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Arsenal best youngsters: Next Bukayo Saka, Premier League record-breaker and versatile star

Despite spending big in the transfer market over the past few years, Arsenal still want to develop and promote their own talent.

There is excitement around the current crop, who made the final of the FA Youth Cup last season under the management of former midfielder Jack Wilshere.

Ethan Nwaneri is a name some may already know after becoming the Premier League's youngest ever player, but the Gunners are bursting with plenty of promising talent.

Here, Standard Sport assesses the young Arsenal stars for whom there are high hopes.

Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Ethan Nwaneri (forward, 16 years old)

Along with Lewis-Skelly, he is in the England squad at the Under-17 World Cup and has been tipped for big things.

Capable of playing in midfield or as a forward, Arsenal had to fight off strong competition from Chelsea and Manchester City to keep Nwaneri in the summer.

He agreed to sign scholarship forms and will be handed a lucrative professional contract when he turns 17 in March.

Became the youngest player in Premier League history when he made his Arsenal debut last season at the age of 15 years and 181 days.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Myles Lewis-Skelly (midfielder, 17 years old)

Described by Wilshere as being able to “do things you can’t coach”, he started as a left-back but now plays in midfield.

His ability to drive with the ball has drawn comparisons to former Fulham and Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele, but there is also a belief at Arsenal he could replicate Oleksandr Zinchenko’s role at left-back.

Lewis-Skelly shone in the FA Youth Cup last season, scoring a 121st-minute winner against Manchester City in the semi-finals.

He is now a regular for Arsenal’s Under-21 side and occasionally trains with the first team.

Amario Cozier-Duberry (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Amario Cozier-Duberry (winger, 18 years old)

Arsenal youth coaches have likened him to Bukayo Saka, due to his stature and playing style.

“His super-strengths are his ball-carrying and ability to take people on. He’s an exciting footballer, but (has) loads to learn,” Wilshere said last season.

Cozier-Duberry has taken an unconventional route to the top as he was playing grassroots football until Arsenal signed him when he was 14.

He has been on the bench this season, but is struggling to break into the first-team squad.

Is into the final year of his contract and attracting interest from clubs in the Netherlands.

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