Ethan Nwaneri could become the youngest Arsenal player to feature in European competition if he plays against Eredivisie side PSV in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
The current record belongs to Jack Wilshere, who faced Dynamo Kiev in 2008 age 16 years and 329 days. But should he play against PSV, Nwaneri will be 63 days younger. If he scores tonight, he will also become the youngest scorer in Champions League history.
Arsenal’s Champions League campaign is already destined for the knockout stages. With four wins from five, they have won Group B with a game to spare. The Gunners’ only loss in this year’s Champions League so far came away at Lens on 3 October.
The Ligue 1 outfit won 2-1 in France, but were hammered 6-0 at the Emirates as Arsenal ran riot in the return fixture.
Youngest scorer in the Champions League is Ansu Fati (17y 40d old) during Barcelona v Inter Milan on 10 Dec 2019.
If Ethan Nwaneri plays and scores tonight, he’ll become the youngest UCL scorer ever at 16y 8m 22d of age. pic.twitter.com/dA8zK10yRe
— French Gøøner (@dacodac) December 12, 2023
Having been at the Gunners since the age of eight, Nwaneri has already become the youngest player in English top-flight history. He came off the bench against Brentford in the Premier League in September 2022, aged 15.
Who Is Ethan Nwaneri?
Ethan Nwaneri was born in London on 21 March 2007 and is of Nigerian descent. Attending St John’s Senior School in Enfield, he joined Arsenal at just eight years old.
By the time he was 14, Nwaneri was already playing for Arsenal’s under-18 side. A year later, the midfielder would make his Premier League debut.
In terms of play style, the youngster can operate across the forward line. Primarily used in the “number 10” role, Nwaneri is known for his ability on the ball as well as tracking back defensively.
He is also equally comfortable in wide positions as he is operating centrally.
After Nwaneri played in a friendly match against Slough Town for Arsenal under-18s, Slough boss Neil Baker was full of praise.
He said: “I understand their number 10 has got great feet, he’s only a real youngster.
“I think he’s a real high hope for them at Arsenal. He’s got absolutely unbelievable ability.”
Ethan Nwaneri’s Debut
Having started the 2022/23 season playing in Arsenal’s under-18s, Nwaneri quickly graduated to the under-21s. After just one Premier League 2 appearance, he was invited to train with the senior squad in September 2022.
Nwaneri was then named among the replacements in the match day squad to face Brentford. Late in the second half, he replaced Fabio Viera, becoming the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League.
In doing so, he broke Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliot’s record for the Premier League era. He also surpassed the all-time English top-flight record, set by former Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Foster in 1964.
The previous record for an Arsenal player in any competition belonged to a certain Cesc Fabregas, in the 2003/04 League Cup.
Discussing Nwaneri’s selection, manager Mikel Arteta explained the youngster was brought in due to a number of injuries, includng to skipper Martin Ødegaard. The decision to send on the then 15-year-old was a “gut feeling” from Arteta.
Who Does Ethan Nwaneri Play For Internationally?
Although born in England, Nwaneri is eligible to play for Nigeria through his parents. So far though, he has opted for England.
To date, he has played for England at both under-16 and under-17 levels. After playing a starring role in qualifying, Nwaneri was named in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championships.
He scored the winning goal against Croatia in the opening match, and featured again at the under-17 World Cup this year.
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