Arsenal star Declan Rice knows a good player when he sees one.
The England international burst onto the scene at West Ham United when he was a teenager, and he has developed into one of the best players in the world since.
Arsenal have Bukayo Saka, who has done what Rice did at the London Stadium, while the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman are on the same path as well.
Hale End is not done just yet. The Arsenal academy has produced another fantastic talent – Andre Harriman-Annous.
Declan Rice sends message to ‘top player’ Andre Harriman-Annous after Arsenal debut
Harriman-Annous made his Arsenal debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup.
The 17-year-old was always viewed as a big talent in the academy, and he had often been spotted training with the first team as well.
However, nobody at Arsenal expected Harriman-Annous to progress as quickly as he has over the last 18 months.
Mikel Arteta has clearly been impressed by the teenager, and that is why he was handed an opportunity to lead the line against a Brighton side who are never easy to face.
Harriman-Annous has been receiving a lot of praise since his debut display, and Declan Rice is the latest to show him some love.
On his Instagram Story, the Arsenal midfielder sent a message to his young teammate.
“Fully deserved, brother! You are a top player and a top boy. More to come!”
Arsenal should be clever with Andre Harriman-Annous’ development
It was a big surprise to see Harriman-Annous start for Arsenal against Brighton, but he deserves praise for his performances, especially in the second half.
The teenager is likely to go back to playing for the academy now, which is not a bad thing at all. But the Gunners need to be smart with how they develop him.
With Viktor Gyokeres available in the first team and Kai Havertz returning from injury soon, Arsenal don’t need another striker. That will be the case next season as well.
So, we think sending Harriman-Annous on loan in the winter window or next summer will benefit him massively.
The impact loan spells had on William Saliba is a great example. Arsenal should do that more often to help develop their young players.
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