Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri showed entirely new side of his game after scoring for England U19s

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Arsenal supporters have made their feelings about Ethan Nwaneri very clear this season, with many begging for Mikel Arteta to hand the youngster more chances.

For a lot of the Arsenal fan base, Nwaneri looked like the obvious alternative for Martin Odegaard when the Norwegian captain was missing with an ankle issue.

That being said, 17-year-old Nwaneri does now have a very prominent role for England under-19s, acting as captain for the side.

Arsenal have several players away on international duty over the break, and Nwaneri was first to get things kicked off against Lithuania on Wednesday.

Ethan Nwaneri scores brilliant headed goal for England U19s vs Lithuania

Interestingly, Nwaneri played a very similar role to the one Odegaard often does for Arsenal.

Without the ball, the Arsenal youngster was lining up the second striker in a 4-4-2, as Odegaard does behind Kai Havertz.

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Then, when England were in possession, Nwaneri was playing slightly deeper to collect the ball and dictate play, again mirroring his club captain.

Of course, Arsenal fans will be very interested to hear how Nwaneri gave England the lead against Lithuania, a side of the youngster’s game we haven’t often seen.

Nwaneri timed his run to perfection to arrive and meet a cross from the left with a deft header in the seventh minute, guiding the ball into the bottom right corner with ease.

As he does for Arsenal, Nwaneri played with a certain aura against Lithuania, showing composure that defies his years.

And although he’s one of the younger members of the squad, he actually holds himself like a senior figure, explaining why he’s captain.

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Of course, with all the Odegaard comparison, it’s worth noting that the Norwegian has only scored one headed goal in his 126 Premier League games for Arsenal.

Odegaard isn’t necessarily known for timing the arrival of his runs into the box, even though he’s still able to grab a few goals across a season doing so.

Thankfully, Odegaard is resting at Arsenal right now following Norway’s decision to not rush their captain for their Nations League fixtures.

But even with Odegaard fit after the break, it’s clear that Nwaneri still deserves more playing time regardless.

Martin Keown thinks Nwaneri will replace Odegaard in the future, a bold statement.

But perhaps there is still a way in which Arteta can play the talented playmakers in the same team.