It may have only taken Eddie Nketiah 15 seconds to score his first goal at the Emirates, but it will take a lot longer to get used to the rush of attention that has now come his way.
Hector Bellerin was watching on from the stands as the 18-year-old’s brace won Tuesday’s game against Norwich, and he has some words of wisdom on how to cope with being thrust into the limelight.
“First of all, I am really happy for him,” Bellerin told Arsenal Player. “He’s a great kid, he trains really well every time that he comes up to the first team. He is very professional and humble, and it’s nice to see players like that who, when they are given a chance to show what they are capable of, are able to change the game from 1-0 down to 2-1 up.
“I think that’s unbelievable and sometimes God gives you those chances and it is up to you to take them. I am happy for him because I can only imagine the feeling he had when he had the whole stadium chanting his name after just a few minutes.
"[That sudden rush of attention] is quite hard to deal with. I went down to the dressing room and he was on his phone and he must have got messages from friends and on social media. It must be quite hard in the first moments to [deal with that].
“The best way to do it is to think that this is just the start. Some people think that it is the end but it is the other way around: it is just the start of your professional career and you have to handle it properly and realise that it is not always like that.
“There will be ups and downs. It is important that you keep humble, keep working hard and see it as the first step on a long journey.”
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