Mikel Arteta heaps praise on ‘calm and composed’ youngster Ethan Nwaneri
Mikel Arteta heaps praise on ‘calm and composed’ youngster Ethan Nwaneri
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Mikel Arteta praised 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri after he scored on his full Champions League debut in Arsenal’s 2-1 win away against Girona. The victory rubber-stamped what had looked highly likely before kick-off, that the team will bypass February’s play-off round and progress straight to the last-16 after finishing third in the final table.
Nwaneri curled in the winner late in the first half to become the second-youngest English goalscorer in the competition behind Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. “That’s what we love about him,” said Arteta. “He’s very aggressive. Before that he had another action where he made the right choice, he went for it.
“He never (looks nervous), he’s so composed, calm and confident in his ability. At 17, scoring a really important goal in the Champions League is not very common.”. Goalkeeper David Raya missed the game through injury with Arteta unable to say whether the 29-year-old will be fit to face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
It meant a debut for on-loan Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto, who was badly at fault for Girona’s goal after getting caught horribly out of position as Arnaut Danjuma put the home side in front in the 28th minute. “(Raya) certainly could not play, he’s injured,” said Arteta. “Let’s see how he improves.”.
Of Neto’s shaky display, he said: “I am very happy he played first of all. It’s been seven months.”. The Brazilian was ultimately relieved of responsibility for what would have been a surprise defeat against the LaLiga side, Jorginho equalising from the penalty spot with his first goal since he scored in this competition against Lens in November 2023.
