Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri continues to be tipped for a big future ahead, following a breakout season in senior football.
The 18-year-old came through the Hale End academy into the first team, replacing the injured Bukayo Saka for a good chunk of the season.
Ethan Nwaneri didn’t look out of place with the rest of the side, scoring plenty of goals and providing some assists along the way.
With the Arsenal star showing plenty of promise, there have been more opportunities for him to feature and fulfil that promise.
Nwaneri is in action with the England under-21s during the European Championships, looking to prove himself on the biggest stage.
While that is ongoing, he has been tipped to make a similar impact to Lamine Yamal in his national team.
Joe Cole backs Ethan Nwaneri to impact England in a similar way to Lamine Yamal
With Ethan Nwaneri making a breakthrough into senior football this season, he has been in the frame for a potential England call-up.
While that senior call is yet to come, the youngster is looking to make an impact with the under-21s to further cement his place in the team for the future.
With a place in the World Cup next year, former Chelsea star Joe Cole has backed Nwaneri to recreate the impact of Lamine Yamal.
Speaking on Channel 4, he said: “He [Nwaneri] wants to play, and what I would say is I think this is his last tournament for the under-21s.
“I think he’s one of them kids like your Rooney’s of this world, like your Jack Wilshere’s of this world, young players who bypass this tournament, you know, this will be his last [under] 21s tournament.
“I’m convinced he’ll be at the World Cup next year, you know, he’s probably looking over at Spain at Lamine Yamal, and he’ll probably think to himself, ‘I’ll have a bit of that’.
“You know that, ‘I’m that quality’ cause of what he’s done in the Premier League, he kept Arsenal going when Saka, who’s Arsenal’s best player, was out, this kid was brilliant.”
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It’s the sort of impact Nwaneri will certainly be hoping to make in the future, with a big year ahead for him at Arsenal.
It will require him to get some regular minutes for the Gunners, however, which will be down to Mikel Arteta to provide.
As Nwaneri closes in on a new contract at Arsenal, his future is one that still has plenty of potential ahead of him.
Joe Cole says Ethan Nwaneri is the future of Arsenal and England
The praise for Nwaneri didn’t stop there, as Cole also claimed that the star would be the future of both Arsenal and England.
When asked about why the youngster was starting for England under-21s, he said: “Because of how he performed, how Nwaneri performed for Arsenal, he’s different class this kid. I think he’s not only the future of Arsenal, but I think he could be the future of England.
“That early on, the poor fullback [for Czech Republic], he had Omari Hutchison for 70 minutes, and then he had to deal with this kid there, just popped it through, he’s so exciting. He does everything well, so well coached, so well drilled.”
A good performance in the tournament could well help Nwaneri seal that place in the England side for years to come.
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