Arteta praises 'great talent' Nwaneri as young player steals show at Preston – Arseblog News

Mikel Arteta described Ethan Nwaneri as “a player” after the England youth international produced another outstanding performance to help Arsenal reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with Crystal Palace at the expense of Preston.

The 17-year-old, starting his second game in the competition, was the beating heart of Arsenal's attack and capped his virtuosic performance with a beautiful curling shot from the edge of the box.

Arteta was also pleased with Gabriel Jesus' first goal since January. The Brazil international led the line and converted in clear style from Jakub Kiwior in the 24th minute to break the stalemate.

On a night where Arsenal created chances for fun, it was a surprise that they had to wait until the second half to extend their lead. Substitute Kai Havertz rounded off the scoring with a header as Kiwior scored his second assist of the night.

“There's so much personality in it, he wants to get involved, he wants every ball, he wants to make a difference,” Arteta said when asked about Nwaneri's talent.

“He’s just a boy outside, a bit quiet, as is usual for 17-year-olds, very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, it shows.”

On the youngster's goal, he added: “He got it in training yesterday so we're getting used to it.

“He is a great talent, he has the right attitude, he has the right players and the right context around him and we have to make sure we play brick by brick at the right pace and in the right order, but we have some players there.” .

“He has this quality, this personality, he is there to make things happen, he doesn't care who is around him, if he has to make the decision alone, then he makes it.” He has one tonight Scored a fantastic goal.”

Having made his debut two seasons ago at the age of 15, Nwaneri has been on fans' radars for some time now. However, as the minutes come more regularly, there's a feeling he's on the verge of a real breakthrough.

Arteta agreed with that assessment, saying: “If he didn't play tonight, he certainly wouldn't be playing against Liverpool three days ago.”

“He's there, I think, he shows every day what he's capable of. You see his teammates, they keep giving him the ball, that’s a great sign, we have a player there.”

On Jesus ending a nine-month goal drought, the boss said: “It's been since January, it's been a long time, this will unlock the thing mentally and allow him to move on. “I think he performed well tonight.

“He looks really happy, his performance, his attitude was good as always, but he needed the feeling that he could put the ball in the net.”