Gary Neville has named Eddie Nketiah as his biggest surprise of the season, with the former Manchester United captain lauding the Arsenal striker for stepping up in Gabriel Jesus’ absence.
Speaking on the Overlap, the Sky Sports pundit named the 23-year-old striker as his surprise of the season in what many would consider a surprising answer from Neville given his previous comments on Arsenal and the ex-England international’s unusual comments on the north London club.
Neville said on his biggest Premier League surprise of the season: “I’m going to go with Nketiah. I thought that when Jesus got injured it could be a problem, but I think he’s played really well for Arsenal.”
Gary Neville lauding Eddie Nketiah is something nobody expected
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Neville has become something of a meme in the Arsenal world this season, with the pundit incredibly predicting the north London side to finish third in the Premier League despite currently being seven points clear of Manchester United with two games to spare.
Indeed, Neville’s comments and quips on Arsenal have led many to believe that there is some old bias still lingering in the former defender’s frame of mind, which is why these comments on Nketiah being the biggest surprise of the season are a shock to many.
It is true that the striker has caused quite the stir for Arsenal since the 2022 FIFA World Cup break, with the attacker scoring six goals in all competitions, including a brace against United, since Jesus’ injury ruled the Brazilian out until March, with Nketiah thriving as Mikel Arteta’s new spearhead.
Arsenal’s no. 14 has proven all the doubters wrong this year
Arsenal fans had the belief that Nketiah had the quality to step in for Jesus and impress in the striker role, but few could have predicted just how good the 23-year-old has been this season, with the Brazilian now unlikely to immediately win back his starting position.
With Nketiah providing that finishing touch Jesus has missed for large parts of the season whilst also helping Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka keep their attacking output flowing, the Hale End graduate has silenced many critics in sweeping fashion, with more big performances expected to come from the striker in the coming weeks.