Arsenal players on the bench were calling for Ethan Nwaneri to be brought on during their game against West Ham United on Sunday.
Arsenal put in an incredible performance against West Ham United on Sunday, scoring six times between the 32nd and the 65th minute to leave the result beyond any doubt.
Mikel Arteta then made some substitutions, bringing on Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, and Mohamed Elneny to give rests to Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice.
But the players on the bench weren’t satisfied, with Arteta revealing after the game that they were calling for 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri to get a chance as well.
“There is something that you have to [have] in your team, and that is the trust of the teammates,” Arteta began.
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“And I had two things: one, the players on the bench whispering to bring Ethan on, which is a great thing to hear, and the other one your teammates want to give you the ball all of the time.
“If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you can only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it was a great sign.”
According to an Instagram comment from Aaron Ramsdale, it was Jorginho calling for Nwaneri to come on.
Nwaneri ended up entering the game in the 77th minute, and he saw plenty of the ball after that.
The midfielder completed 15 passes in his 13 minutes on the pitch, including creating a chance. He won two of his three individual duels, and he also won a free-kick for his team with some clever footwork.
The Arsenal squad have seen plenty of Nwaneri in training over the last year or so, so they know the quality that the youngster has.
You have to be patient for opportunities in senior football, but this was clearly a good time for the teenager to get on, and he did well in his brief showing.