Ian Wright has called on Mikel Arteta to start Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri.
The 17-year-old has impressed in his cameos for the Gunners this season, having bagged a brace on his full debut in the 5-1 thrashing of Bolton in the Carabao Cup.
Nwaneri has been tipped as a possible solution to fill the creative void opened as a result of Martin Odegaard’s injury but Arteta has previously urged caution.
The Gunners boss insisted the teenager cannot simply just thrown into the deep end when speaking after Saturday’s surprise 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth, Arsenal’s first loss of the season.
“I think it is identifying moments, understanding where he is, where the team is and what is the optimal moment to throw a player in that context,” he said.
“He has already done a lot in a very short period of time, so let’s take it step by step and make sure those steps are consistent, and can allow him to grow in the manner and form that we want him in the team.”
Still, speaking on The Overlap, Arsenal legend Wright called on Arteta to turn to Nwaneri.
“When I saw [Mikel] Merino, [Thomas] Partey and [Declan] Rice – I was thinking [Ethan] Nwaneri, the youngster,” said Wright.
“Against Bournemouth, you need someone who can do something [in the middle] and create something, because that’s what was majorly missing. We needed someone to beat someone with the ball – I would have taken a chance on him – I would have had Merino, Rice and Nwaneri playing in there [the number 10], to have something different.”
Arsenal will remain without Odegaard for Sunday’s huge Premier League clash with table-topping Liverpool, while Bukayo Saka will need to be assessed after missing the loss to the Cherries and the Champions League victory against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ian Wright was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
