Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has been left in no doubt that Eddie Nketiah can step up in Gabriel Jesus ’ absence having hailed the “incredible” forward.
The Gunners are set to be without the Brazilian forward for the foreseeable future after the 25-year-old underwent surgery on a knee issue. Mikel Arteta has been racking his brains since over how the Premier League leaders will cope in his absence.
However, it appears that Arsenal already have their ideal replacement at the club, with Zinchenko having been “surprised” by Nketiah’s quality since the Ukrainian’s summer arrival from Manchester City. He has been full of praise for the Gunners academy graduate as Arsenal prepare to get back to action after the World Cup.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Zinchenko said: “Since I came here, [Nketiah] has been amazing. Honestly, even watching him last season, I was surprised a lot because the ability and quality he has is incredible. He has an amazing potential and future, for sure. The way he works so hard, I have no doubts about him.
“For sure, he’s going to help the team as much as he can and he understands the pressure now a little bit. He should realise how important he will be for the rest of the season.”
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Nketiah, 23, has seen opportunities at a premium at Emirates Stadium this season. He has made 19 appearances in all competitions but only seven of those outings have been starts - none of those coming in the Premier League.
In that time, the Arsenal academy graduate has notched three goals, having got on the scoresheet on 10 occasions last term. Despite Zinchenko expecting big things from Nketiah over the coming months, he has still recognised how much of a miss Jesus will be as the Gunners attempt to retain top spot in the Premier League.
He said of the striker: "Of course, it’s a big miss for our team, and the impact what he’s doing for the club is amazing. I know him for a while – he’s a big warrior and I’m 100 per cent sure that he’ll be back much, much stronger."
The 25-year-old Brazilian has impressed for the Gunners since joining from City. In 20 appearances before his injury, he scored five goals and provided seven assists, even though he did not manage to get on the scoresheet in any of his last six Premier League games ahead of the World Cup.
His form was good enough to see him selected in the Brazil squad for the tournament in Qatar. He made three appearances at the World Cup, with his only start coming in the defeat by Cameroon in the Selecao’s final group game.
