Arsenal’s squad is severely depleted, and they may be forced to call upon some academy prospects in this Saturday’s clash with Wolves at Molineux.
Gabriel Jesus is out for the season with an ACL injury, while Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the clash with the West Midlanders.
William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly are also doubts, meaning Mikel Arteta may be forced to field a makeshift team, with games against Girona and Manchester City next week in mind.
With the congested nature of the fixture schedule, the Spaniard may be inclined to rest some of his key players, or at least substitute them early if Arsenal are in a commanding position.
This could open up opportunities for a few Hale End academy graduates to feature in some capacity.
Ethan Nwaneri
The most likely to feature against Wolves from this category is Ethan Nwaneri.
Nwaneri impressed on his return to action against Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League in midweek and is in contention to fill Saka’s void on the right-wing.
The 17-year-old thrived on the flank in games against Brighton and Brentford, and has thus far looked Arsenal’s most accomplished alternative to the team’s absent talisman.
Raheem Sterling frustrated fans with his performance on Wednesday night, which could provoke Arteta to start Nwaneri ahead of the 30-year-old at Molineux.
Ismael Kabia
While Nathan Butler-Oyedeji made his Arsenal debut against Zagreb, another young forward appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ismael Kabia has been a consistent figure on the bench for the Gunners in recent months, and with Arteta’s forward options limited, he may eventually get a look-in.
The 19-year-old winger, who has been described as ‘explosive’ by football analyst Ben Mattinson, was granted a cameo appearance against Bolton in the EFL Cup back in September, and he could be in line for a similar outing on Saturday.
If Arsenal have a comfortable lead, similarly to what he did with Butler-Oyedeji on Wednesday, Arteta may opt to blood Kabia in the latter stages of the match in order to rest either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard.
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Josh Nichols
Josh Nichols’ chances of featuring against Wolves are certainly slim, although it’s not impossible to imagine a scenario in which he’s needed.
White returned to training this week, but won’t be ready in time to face the Old Gold.
With Saliba a doubt, Arsenal have a shortage of options on the right-hand side of their defence.
If he makes the bench, Nicholas could come onto the pitch late in the game to give Jurrien Timber or Thomas Partey some respite at right-back.
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