So far this season, Mikel Arteta has trusted Ethan Nwaneri to play only 52 minutes in the Premier League at Arsenal, even with Martin Odegaard injured.
Nwaneri has earned those minutes across five league appearances for Arsenal, demonstrating how short his cameos have often been.
Of course, it’s a different story in the EFL Cup where Nwaneri has played 170 minutes across two matches, scoring three goals in the process.
The 17-year-old has been trusted against EFL sides in the competition, but is yet to play a single minute in the Champions League.
Arteta is biding his time with Nwaneri, in similar fashion to how Pep Guardiola helped Phil Foden integrate into the first team at Manchester City.
Ian Wright says Mikel Arteta should be starting Ethan Nwaneri at Arsenal
However, when speaking on the ‘Wrighty’s House’ podcast, Ian Wright confessed that he was becoming increasingly frustrated with Arteta’s reluctance to start Nwaneri.
Wright shared his theory that Arteta must have been prepared to hand the youngster a sizable role given he was prepared to sell Emile Smith Rowe and loan out Fabio Vieira.
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However, the Arsenal icon was perplexed that Nwaneri continues to sit on the bench, particularly against Newcastle United last weekend.
Wright said: “You know something, when you look back at the face that they’ve, okay, they gambled on, for me, Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira [leaving], I mentioned it hasn’t quite kicked on, it didn’t quite kick on for him.
“Then that says to me then, they’re looking at Ethan and thinking, yeah, he must be ready to go. He might be ready to go because why would you get rid of two players like that?
“Not so much Fabio, but Emile Smith Rowe, if you don’t he’s ready to go. Because for me, that game [against Newcastle], I would have started him [Nwaneri].
“Because we needed that x-factor, that exuberance of youth, that something that, wow – like what Chelsea done with Cole Palmer.
“Just throw him in there, man, and let him just go and do what he’s doing.”
Arteta shared a big Nwaneri clue before Arsenal lost to Newcastle
Speaking before Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at his press conference, Arteta perhaps provided the best insight into his thinking with Nwaneri’s minutes.
The Arsenal manager spoke about pushing the youngster but also the ‘protection’ which is needed right now, something fans might be guilty of underestimating.
Arteta said: “I think the biggest thing is to push him, and then when he is being pushed, you always grab him right behind to make sure that he’s always stable and protected.
“But with this talent, you have to push him. The protection is necessary to keep an eye on him and be at the right distance, but he needs to see that he can fly and don’t clip any wings.”
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