Jorginho hails Arsenal academy star Ethan Nwaneri: ‘He’s improving every day’

Jorginho believes Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri is ‘improving every day’ ahead of their Champions League clash against Atalanta on Thursday.

The 17-year-old delivered an impressive cameo appearance in the second half of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Tottenham last Sunday.

Arsenal fans are now eager to see more of Nwaneri, especially in the absence of Martin Odegaard who is ruled out for several weeks with ‘significant’ ankle ligament damage.

Nwaneri has travelled with Arsenal’s squad to Italy for their Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday night.

And speaking ahead of the game, Jorginho has backed the midfielder to have a ‘good future’ if he maintains the levels he has shown in Arsenal’s training sessions.

‘He’s growing a lot and he’s improving every single day,’ said Jorginho.

‘He’s a talented player with good skills, he can dribble, he can break lines, he can find the goal and find the pass, so I think he can have a good future in front of him if he stays the way he has been in training and trying to improve every day.’

Arteta, meanwhile, insists he will resist the urge to rotate his side ahead of their Premier League match against Manchester City this Sunday.

‘No we are in September so we have to put the players that we believe are the best to win tomorrow,’ Arteta said.

‘That’s the most important and only thing for us.’

Arteta also revealed that he has sought advice about Atalanta from both Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori, who trained without issue on Wednesday.

‘The club has an amazing story and what Gasperini has done is amazing,’ Arteta said.

‘I have a big admiration for what he has done in his career, not only for Atalanta but for other clubs. He’s a very important figure and what they achieved last season was incredible.

‘It’s very difficult to play against them. They have a particular playing style which you see week-in, week-out and it’s very challenging for opponents coming up against them. In the last two seasons, the Premier League has changed a lot, you’ve got a lot of squads that are doing similar things to them and we need to be prepared ahead of tomorrow.

‘I spoke with Riccardo [Calafiori] and Jorgi as they know the team very well, they know the players and it’s always very important information to get a hold of. They’ve played in some great games against this squad during the last few seasons, and they’ve done very well.’

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