Declan Rice showed his support for the young players who featured for Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta showed his faith in youth by selecting a heavily rotated Arsenal side to take on Bolton Wanderers in an EFL Cup clash.
Four teenagers from the Hale End academy were named in the starting XI. Jack Porter set an Arsenal record as the 16-year-old goalkeeper started in place of the injured David Raya.
Meanwhile, left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly and midfielder Ethan Nwaneri were afforded their first Arsenal starts, whilst Josh Nichols made his debut for the North London club at right-back.
On top of that, Maldini Kacurri and Ismeal Kabia made their bows from the bench, whilst goalkeeper Alexei Rojas and defender Ayden Heaven were unused substitutes.
Declan Rice sends message to Arsenal starlets
After the final whistle, Nwaneri took a selfie of himself and the rest of the youngsters who had been included in the matchday squad for this fixture.
Responding to this image on Instagram, Declan Rice said: “Proud of these boys! Top players and even better lads,” followed by a red heart emoji.
Rice himself featured in this game, and opened the scoring for the Gunners with a well-placed finish from the edge of the area, after some good work from Nichols in the build up.
More to come from Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were the stars of the show against the League One side. The duo performed with great maturity, looking supremely comfortable in possession and capable of competing physically against a senior side.
Arteta admitted Nwaneri’s progress surprised him, despite the 17-year-old having been a highly rated figure within the club for some time.
It is now clear that Nwaneri is ready for more regular involvement at first team level going forward. The same may also be true of Lewis-Skelly, who caught the eye with his intelligent passing and willingness to drive up the pitch.
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