Bukayo Saka sends message to Nathan Butler-Oyedeji after he made his Arsenal debut vs Dinamo Zagreb

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Nathan Butler-Oyedeji made his Arsenal debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

The Gunners are dealing with a lot of injury issues at the moment. Leandro Trossard was the only senior attacker on the bench alongside Ethan Nwaneri, who is still only 17.

Mikel Arteta named four players from the Arsenal Academy on his bench, and he decided to give Butler-Oyedeji his debut late in the game.

The youngster didn’t touch the ball, but it will still be a really proud moment for him and his family after years at the club.

Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly send messages to Nathan Butler-Oyedeji

It was a really comfortable night for Arsenal against Dinamo Zagreb.

Arteta’s side took the lead through Declan Rice after just two minutes. It was a fantastic goal after a clever lay-off by Kai Havertz inside the box.

Then, in the second half, Havertz found the net himself with a good header before Martin Odegaard sealed the win with a third in stoppage time.

Butler-Oyedeji played no part in the goals, but his debut on Wednesday night was a long time coming, and he completely deserved the opportunity.

After the game, the Arsenal Academy graduate took to Instagram to celebrate his debut.

Bukayo Saka showed him some love with a couple of emojis, while Myles Lewis-Skelly wrote: “My brudda!”

A number of Butler-Oyedeji’s academy teammates – past and present – showered him with love in the replies as well.

READ MORE: Who is Arsenal starlet Nathan Butler-Oyedeji? Age, nationality, position, stats and more

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji’s story at Arsenal is incredible

Hale End has produced some incredibly talented players over the years, but we only talk about the ones who end up being big stars.

That is why Butler-Oyedeji’s story has to be heard.

The attacker joined Arsenal when he was just eight years old. He came through the ranks at Hale End and had a lot of injury issues leading up to scholarship age.

Butler-Oyedeji’s challenges increased when coaches in the academy kept changing his position. He was also sent out on loan twice, first to Accrington Stanley and then to Cheltenham, where he played a combined 787 minutes of football.

Despite those difficulties, the youngster continued to work hard in the academy, and the fact that Arteta gave him a senior opportunity – albeit off the bench for a minute – shows he has seen something in him.

We don’t know when we’ll see Butler-Oyedeji play for the senior side again, but we’re really glad that he got his chance against Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates.