Mikel Arteta has singled out two players who have impressed in training ahead of the Premier League opener against Wolves.
All eyes will be on the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Arsenal kick off the 2024/25 campaign against Wolves.
The Midlands club will travel to North London as the underdogs, with Mikel Arteta understanding the importance of a fast start in the race for the Premier League title.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, the manager was quizzed on a range of subjects where he sang the praises of two rarely-seen squad players.
The two Arsenal players who really impressed Mikel Arteta ahead of Wolves
From transfer updates to team news, Arteta’s pre-match press conference had everything that was expected prior to the opening day of the Premier League season.
When facing the media, the manager applauded the work of academy jewels Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri in pre-season and training, emphasising the depth that their development will give Arsenal.
“Myles has played a lot of minutes, Ethan as well in pre-season,” Arteta explained.
“It’s given us a big platform for them to understand how good they are and the options we have in the squad right now, they’re certainly going to be training with us.”
The Hale End duo are both only 17 years old however, fans have become accustomed to seeing the pair around the first team, with several pre-season performances allowing their potential to come to light.
Arteta has a clear plan for the youngsters, who will be two rising stars to watch over the season ahead.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly can make a breakthrough this season
It’s not every season that two players as young as 17 are backed by the manager to make a difference in the first team at a club of Arsenal’s calibre.
That is however the situation that the Hale End starlets find themselves in, with the year ahead set to be pivotal to their development around the senior game.
It will be exciting to see the capacity in which Arteta decides to use both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly over the course of the campaign, with their progression certainly something to track this year.
When making the comments on the two teenagers, Arteta was referring to a question regarding squad depth and work in the transfer window, reinforcing how highly he regards the youngsters.
It’s been a while since Arsenal fans saw a young talent break through and make a consistent impact in the first team, with Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly on course to blossom this term.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
