Mikel Arteta just humiliated former Tottenham defender as Ethan Nwaneri shines on full Arsenal debut

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Mikel Arteta will be delighted for several of Arsenal’s academy stars following the Gunners’ win over Bolton Wanderers.

Arsenal returned to the Emirates after almost a month away, hosting League One outfit Bolton in the third round of the EFL Cup.

The hosts flexed their superiority on Wednesday night, winning 5-1 in front of a home crowd on what was a special night for many reasons.

Arteta handed senior minutes to six academy stars, who each took their chance to impress, with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri shining in particular.

• READ MORE: Arsenal player ratings vs Bolton, Ethan Nwaneri 9/10 as another Hale Ender also catches the eye

Jason Cundy comments resurface after Ethan Nwaneri Arsenal masterclass

This season, Nwaneri has become a regular around the first team, being named on the bench for each of the Gunners’ opening five Premier League fixtures.

Against Spurs in the North London derby Arteta trusted the attacking midfielder to make an impact in the high-profile clash, which he did, coming on to make his first appearance of the season.

• READ MORE: Ethan Nwaneri did one thing vs Bolton that nobody in Arsenal’s history has done before

Nwaneri has been in line to be the next big thing from Hale End since making his Premier League debut in 2022, when Arteta fielded the teen when he was just 15-years-old.

As a result, Nwaneri became the youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League at 15 years and 181 days old, telling of the extent of the manager’s trust in the midfielder.

Nwaneri’s debut in 2022 generated headlines, with not all being positive surprisingly, as talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy took aim at Arteta for his decision to test the teen.

“Arteta doesn’t really care about the boy. I’m sorry, I think that’s a really poor, really poor decision because it’s about Arteta, it’s all about Arteta,” Cundy fumed unprovoked.

“When I saw the kid on the bench I thought it’s great for him being there. When I saw him warming up and coming on I thought, this is ridiculous, this has got nothing to do with the kid.

“It’s all about Arteta, self-indulgent, ‘look what I’ve done, I’ve given the youngest ever player his appearance in the Premier League’. I think it’s a really poor decision.”

Mikel Arteta left Cundy red-faced after Bolton victory

Cundy’s comments from 2022 resurfaced following Nwaneri’s masterclass against Bolton on Wednesday night, as the midfielder demonstrated that he’s more than ready to be around the first team.

Arteta made a mockery of the pundit’s two year old opinion simply by being patient with Nwaneri’s development, as well as giving him the platform to grow.

• READ MORE: The real reason Ethan Nwaneri is ‘especially popular’ with Arsenal staff, it was the same with Bukayo Saka

Last season, the Spaniard managed the 17-year-old’s growth expertly, handing him chances to be around the first team whilst playing regular minutes in the academy.

Now it seems that the boss has seen enough of Nwaneri at academy level, with the decision made to pluck the teenager from the comforts of Hale End to ease him into his journey towards being a regular at senior level.

Cundy claimed that Arteta pushed Nwaneri on the pitch at 15 for his own gain, a view that has aged terribly having seen how the youngster has developed since his first Premier League outing.