Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 as they continued their pre-season preparations on their USA tour, and there were a few standout performers.
Ethan Nwaneri earned rave reviews for his display, whilst there were signs that Gabriel Jesus could be about to hit his best form, with Gabriel Martinelli also making a successful comeback with a goal.
Whilst Nwaneri was the pick of the bunch out of the youngsters involved, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand also delivered another excellent performance in what has been a really impressive pre-season campaign.
After a few years of injury struggle, the 20-year-old now looks ready to hit his full potential, having also impressed in the game against Bournemouth, and fans are excited by the prospect of his development.
Arsenal fans impressed by Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand in Man Utd victory
Arsenal fans have taken to X to praise the youngster, who came on for the second half in midfield to replace Nwaneri, and his remarkable technique and composure particularly stood out.
“Genuinely impressed with his performance. Thought he was very good and imposed himself well,” one fan posted.
“Incredible. Held his ground and created chances for sure… promising,” another stated of him.
“Excellent, looked so calm and brought a sense of relief when he was on the ball. Very disciplined defensively too, made some nice recoveries. Hopefully a loan with regular minutes, probably a Championship side, will serve him well after his injury issues last season!” A fan pointed out.
“He fought for every ball in that game, simply magnificent,” another fan posted.
Some fans are now keen on seeing Salah-Eddine gain more chances in and around the first-team after his display.
“This boy and Nwaneri can fight for the Xhaka role, I have seen enough! Mikel, please don’t spend a dime on the LCM role!” One fan claimed.
“Nwaneri and Salah doing everything Vieira should be doing, while also being defensively up to the task. ESR replacements? Look no further than these two,” one stated of Arsenal’s midfield options.
“We got soo many ballers in Hale End, Arteta I support you always but bro, in games with less significance or games where we are dominating we need to play them,” one fan demanded.
Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand grabbing last Arsenal chance
Given his age and injury problems whilst out on loan at Hull City and Den Bosch, it seemed unlikely that Salah-Eddine would have another shot at success at Arsenal.
However, he has performed so well in pre-season that he has forced his way into gaining another chance at making it at the club.
The next step will be to remain injury-free if he does go out on loan again. Consistent gametime will help him develop, and if he can continue to improve, he may have a shot at eventually making the first-team.
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