Ethan Nwaneri had a dream start to life at Marseille after joining them on loan from Arsenal.
The two clubs officially announced the teenager’s move on Friday, and just a day later, Roberto De Zerbi handed him his first start.
Nwaneri was deployed as a right-forward in a 3-4-3 system, and it took the Arsenal academy graduate just 13 minutes to score.
Unsurprisingly, media outlets in France have been raving about Nwaneri since.
Give us your three-word verdict on Ethan Nwaneri’s performance on his Marseille debut!
French media react to Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri’s Marseille debut
Ethan Nwaneri has already become a fan favourite at Marseille.
The teenager looked excellent on the ball against Lens on Saturday, and his driving runs from deep were just a joy to watch.
For his goal, Nwaneri got on the ball far away from the opposition’s box. He went on one of his excellent runs, fooled a defender while cutting inside and passed the ball into the back of the net from outside the box.
The Stade Velodrome erupted in joy after the Arsenal loanee’s goal, and the French press were blown away too.
Foot Mercato named Nwaneri as their Man of the Match and wrote: “To win over the Velodrome crowd, the timing (13th minute) and the manner of the victory were simply perfect.
“The pressure from the home fans never seemed to unsettle the 18-year-old; on the contrary, it energised him. His left foot was devastating, as seen in his goal when he left Malang Sarr for dead. A few decisions betrayed his inexperience, but it was a more than promising debut.”
Le Phoceen added: “Ethan Nwaneri marked the match with a moment of brilliance. His goal, the result of a superb individual effort, sent the Velodrome into raptures and clearly influenced the course of the game.
“After this moment of brilliance, his impact was somewhat limited, due to a predictable drop in energy. But what he showed in his best spells is enough to justify his inclusion among the top performers. Raw talent, capable of turning a match around.”
90min in France wrote: “Ethan Nwaneri quickly took charge, scoring a superb goal to make it 2-0. Playing simply, the English striker found the back of the net in front of his new fans.
“Technically, his ability to make a difference with his dribbling and his exceptional left foot were immediately apparent. A fine debut for the striker on loan from Arsenal.”
How many goals and assists do you think Ethan Nwaneri will end the season with under Roberto De Zerbi at Marseille?
Drop your predictions below👀
Ethan Nwaneri showed why he is one of the best youngsters in the world
The odds were against Nwaneri succeeding for Marseille against Lens.
The 18-year-old had only joined the club a day before, had just one training session and lacked match practice because he barely played under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal in recent weeks.
To add to that, it was a brand-new league for Nwaneri, and he was playing with players he had never played with before.
Despite that, the Arsenal youngster scored inside 13 minutes, which just shows that he is one of the best young players on the planet right now.
There’s a lot more to come from Nwaneri. Once he fully adapts to Ligue 1 and develops a better understanding with his teammates, we think he will become unstoppable.
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