Ethan Nwaneri was dropped by Mikel Arteta when Arsenal faced Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The teenager is one of the best young players in the country, and he has impressed almost every time he has played for the Gunners this season.
Nwaneri has made four appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this term, and in other games, he had been on the bench.
However, for the trip to Newcastle United, Arteta left Nwaneri out of his squad.
Mikel Arteta explains why Ethan Nwaneri was dropped for Newcastle United vs Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has some difficult decisions to make every single week at Arsenal.
The Spaniard had to make the tough call of dropping Ethan Nwaneri from his squad for the game at Newcastle United on Sunday.
What was surprising to many was that the youngster was made to travel with the squad to Tyneside, but he was still left out.
Arteta was asked if the news about Nwaneri travelling was true, and also the reason why he was dropped entirely from the squad.
The Arsenal manager replied, as relayed on HaytersTV: “Yeah, I talked to all the players and we had a meeting specifically about that and the scenarios that we were going to have throughout the season.
“Some of them they’re going to start, some of them they’re going to finish the game, some of them they’re going to be on the bench and not be participating, and some of them, unfortunately, are going to be out of the squad because with the Premier League you have the limitation with the numbers.
“Sometimes we have to travel with more players because things can happen. Somebody can get ill, or we have a doubt with somebody, whether the next morning they are going to be available to play, and unfortunately, we have to do that.”
Max Dowman made the squad and Ethan Nwaneri didn’t – that explains one thing
Nwaneri is still only 18 years old and is one of the youngest players in the Arsenal squad. But he is senior to Max Dowman.
The 15-year-old was included in the matchday squad when the Gunners faced Newcastle United, which came as a surprise as he plays in a similar position to Nwaneri.
The fact that Arteta chose Dowman over the 18-year-old suggests that Nwaneri is no longer considered a regular option on the right wing. He is seen as a midfielder now.
With Eberechi Eze starting, and Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino on the bench, there was no place for Nwaneri.
Dowman, on the other hand, got the nod as a right-wing option because of Noni Madueke’s unavailability.
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