Mikel Arteta was waxing lyrical about Ethan Nwaneri during his pre-Newcastle United press conference on Friday morning.
Our academy graduate has continued to make a name for himself this season, becoming more involved in the first-team setup.
As well as getting four Premier League appearances under his belt as a substitute in 2024/25, Ethan started both of our matches in the Carabao Cup.
He was key to our success in the third round, scoring twice in a 5-1 over Bolton Wanderers, and this week that form continued with a stunning finish in our 3-0 victory at Preston North End.
“At 17 years old, to be in a position like he is in at one of the biggest clubs in Europe, I think sums up really well the level that he has,” Mikel said. “What is going to happen in the future is mainly going to depend on him and how much he wants it.
“At the moment he wants it a lot and he's surrounded by the right people and then you will need a crystal ball to see where he is going to be in a year, two years, three years. My prediction is going to be very positive.
“It is rare to see a talent like this at 17 years old, that's true. But when we gave him his debut in the Premier League, there was a lot of talk about it but we didn't do it because it was a gift, we did it because we knew the pathway that we wanted to build with him and we wanted to send him a really strong sign about how much we trust him and how much we wanted him to stay with us. We are delighted to have him.”
Asked if he has to protect Ethan from the outside noise, Mikel explained the balancing act of pushing a young player versus looking after them.
“I think the biggest thing is to push him, and then when he is being pushed, you always grab him right behind to make sure that he's always stable and protected,” he said. “But with this talent, you have to push him. The protection is necessary to keep an eye on him and be at the right distance, but he needs to see that he can fly and don't clip any wings.”
Mikel was coming through the academy at Barcelona when he was 17, and was asked on Friday if he could compare his own talent to that of Ethan’s.
“Not at this level,” he said. “I was really lucky as well because somebody trusted me at that age and gave me the opportunity, which is what they need as well. For the talent to emerge, somebody has to give you the chance, the belief, then you have to be surrounded by the right team, the right players. If you do that, you have a chance.
“What I like about him is he really believes that he has the ability to do it. He really believes he is capable of taking anybody’s place. And he’s earned the right and trust of his teammates, which I think is vital for a teenager coming through.”
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