Mikel Merino was heard screaming one thing to Ethan Nwaneri during Arsenal’s win over Preston

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Arsenal beat Preston North End 3-0 in the EFL Cup, and Ethan Nwaneri has been the talk of the town since.

The 17-year-old is one of the most talented young players in the world. He is viewed by many as a superstar in the making, and he is more than living up to all the hype.

After scoring a brace in his EFL Cup debut against Bolton, Nwaneri was given a start against Preston on Wednesday night. The teenager was sensational once again and scored a stunner in the first half.

Nwaneri is getting a lot of praise for his performance and rightly so, but some of his senior teammates deserve some credit too for helping him out.

What Mikel Merino was heard screaming at Ethan Nwaneri during Preston vs Arsenal

Mikel Merino started for Arsenal in midfield against Preston at Deepdale.

The Spaniard had a tough start to life at the Emirates because he suffered an injury right after he arrived. However, since returning to full fitness, Merino has been getting better and better.

Against Preston on Wednesday night, the former Real Sociedad star played the first half and he was very, very good.

Merino wasn’t just brilliant with everything he did on the ball, but he showed real leadership too to help out young Nwaneri.

The Spain international was seen talking to the teenager on multiple occasions, giving him instructions about his positioning and movement.

At one point in the first-half, according to Football London, Merino ‘shouted’ at Nwaneri so loudly that fans in the packed stadium could hear him.

Merino was reportedly instructing Nwaneri where to stand during a throw-in.

READ MORE: Ethan Nwaneri has just done something at Arsenal that even Thierry Henry couldn’t do

Merino’s stats vs Preston are so impressive

Arsenal fans are only just starting to see Merino’s real ability.

The midfielder took some time to adapt to the pace of the English game after he recovered from his injury, but his performances against Liverpool and Preston were both fantastic.

In his 45 minutes on the pitch at Deepdale, Merino had 29 touches of the ball and completed every single one of his 22 attempted passes, thus maintaining a 100 per cent accuracy.

He also averaged a 100 per cent duel success rate, winning every duel he attempted, and made three tackles too.

To add to that, Merino created a big chance as well, setting up Nwaneri inside the box (Sofascore). Sadly, the youngster failed to convert that opportunity.

We’re really excited to see more of Merino. Once Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori are back from their injuries, we expect Arsenal to become a force – bigger than they already are.