Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted that Ethan Nwaneri was handed his full Premier League debut in Wednesday’s win over Brentford on merit rather than as a result of the illness gripping the Gunners squad.

“[It] is great to see him play with that courage and that determination. He played in that position not because of the bug. It was a decision that I made because I thought he was the best player to start the game,” Arteta explained.

But there was another factor that also went into naming the 17-year-old in the lineup.

Nwaneri made history in September 2022 when he came off the bench in a game against Brentford to become the youngest player in Arsenal and English top-flight history, aged 15 years and 181 days.

Therefore, handing the youngster his first league start against the same opponent at the same stadium was something that Arteta felt was a natural fit.

“It was a story with his debut here and then making his [full] Premier League debut. Sometimes that feeling comes in and you feel it’s the right one,” the manager said.

“Part of that development is patience managing frustration and expectation because you expect that everything is going to go as fast as the previous things, but that’s not the case. So now we’re building him, he’s already played a lot of games and he deserves that.”

Nwaneri could end up getting an extended run in the Arsenal side while Bukayo Saka is sidelined with injury until at least early March. After travelling to Brighton, the Gunners quickly face Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, before hosting Manchester United in the FA Cup third round three days before the north London derby.

There are also two more Champions League fixtures to play before the end of January, a month that will see Arsenal take to the pitch nine times.

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