‘Fearless’: Theo Walcott delivers his verdict on Ethan Nwaneri’s performance vs Leicester
He's got it all ????
Although he only entered the pitch in the 85th minute for Arsenal in their 4-2 win over Leicester City on Saturday, Ethan Nwaneri demonstrated all of his ability.
Mikel Arteta turned to Nwaneri against Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, an opportunity the Arsenal youngster took superbly, scoring two goals.
And without Martin Odegaard against Leicester this weekend, some fans in N5 may have even been anticipating a Nwaneri start, the Norwegian’s most obvious alternative.
Arteta resisted the urge on this occasion, but did turn to Nwaneri with 10 or 15 minutes to go at a point at when Arsenal were still chasing a winner at 2-2.
The 17-year-old immediately got on the ball and nearly scored, a youngster who plays with so much authority and confidence, a talent it’s becoming harder for Arteta to hold back.
Ethan Nwaneri told he’s ‘fearless’ after brief substitute appearance vs Leicester
That being said, Theo Walcott discussed Nwaneri’s brief performance on the BBC’s Match of the Day after Arsenal’s late win, hailing the impact of the youngster.
Walcott described Nwaneri as ‘fearless’ a player who he thought had a superb future ahead.
READ MORE: Martin Keown says £26m Arsenal player has been ‘worth every penny’
Walcott said: “The great thing about him is, the first words that come to me are fearless and confidence on the ball.
“I saw him in midweek, again, this is his first few touches – he’s direct, he wants to commit players and gets his shots away, end product is there.
“He’s a player that has been highly regarded in the academy and again he goes on the outside and on the inside, likes to commit defenders.
“We’re talking about players now that want to do something different on the half turn, create space for himself, gets himself a corner.
“This man has got a very good career ahead of him, that’s for sure.”
Gabriel Martinelli has his confidence back at Arsenal
Although Arteta will be disappointed with certain aspects of Arsenal’s performance, it will have been incredibly satisfying for the Spaniard to see Gabriel Martinelli back to his best.
Something has been missing from Martinelli’s game in his performances towards the end of last season and thus – confidence.
However, the Brazilian was excellent against Leicester, even if he was still lacking a bit of finesse with his finishing at times.
But with a fit and firing Martinelli on the left, Arsenal are a much more dangerous proposition, a timely return to form with Odegaard still missing as mentioned.
That being said, Kevin Nolan was left in awe of a different Arsenal player after Saturday’s 4-2 win.
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