The ManicaPost
IT’S been a whirlwind few days for 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.
But Arsenal’s record-breaking debutant is used to that.
Rewind to February 2020 and the teenager is playing in attack for Arsenal’s Under-14s away at West Ham.
Storm Ciara had hit the UK all week and the youth team players on the pitch were put in unchartered territory — but a 12-year-old Nwaneri would not be thrown about.
“He was from the Under 13s, playing in the age group above – even then he was one of the better players in that group,” a Premier League scout who was watching that game tells Sky Sports.
“The conditions were terrible — it was really windy and rainy and it’s normally difficult to assess these players in that environment. But I picked out bits like his body language, his character and the way he reacted to the conditions.
“He scored in that game and has an eye for goal, but he really wanted to be involved in the build-up play and had good ball control.”
Now Nwaneri is the most talked about teenager in English football – after his brief cameo for Arsenal in their 3-0 win over Brentford on Super Sunday made him the youngest ever Premier League player at 15 years and 181 days.
The midfielder spent three minutes on the west London pitch, and didn’t touch the ball, but the experience of senior football was there for a player who was born after the Emirates Stadium was built – and was 12—years-old when the UK went into the first coronavirus lockdown.
Playing in an older age group has been the way of the world for the attacking midfielder so far.
Those familiar with his rise up the youth football have seen him playing above his age group since Under-13 level.
“When I saw him, he was different gravy,” the same scout adds.
“I first spotted him when I was working at other Premier League clubs when he was playing for Arsenal’s Under-13s as an 11-year-old.
“But it was a few years later — when I was watching him as a Manchester United scout — that he had developed into what we call a Grade A academy player. — Skysports.
