Nwaneri will be an ‘amazing player’ says Arsenal teammate Merino after Girona win

Ethan Nwaneri’s training ground secrets are behind what is going to make the Arsenal teenage prodigy ‘an amazing player’ as he scored his first Champions League goal on his first European start.

That is the view of teammate and Spain Euros hero Mikel Merino, who is helping to guide the 17-year-old on his path from child prodigy to senior success.

Nwaneri sealed Arsenal’s Champions League third place finish with a second half wonder goal straight out of the Bukayo Saka playbook.

Saka, his fellow Hale End graduate and inspiration, is the injured star Nwaneri has been covering for.

But Merino has seen the talented Londoner do the same in training and is tipping the versatile forward to be a breakout star in his own right.

“This kind of goal does not happen by chance,” Merino revealed. “This kind of action is something you train. He is always trying to make this shot, trying to cross to the second post from the right side. It is something he trains every day.

“Obviously he has an amazing talent but there is nothing that comes without hard work.”

Nwaneri’s emergence is a huge boost for manager Mikel Arteta as Arsenal struggle to land attacking reinforcements in the transfer window while Saka and fellow forward Gabriel Jesus are out injured.

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And Merino, 28, explained how he is one of the senior players, advising Nwaneri, who now has the total trust of the first team squad.

Merino added: “He has huge confidence in himself. The good thing as well is that he has amazing team-mates around him.

“We make sure that he is always comfortable. We are always telling him what to do and helping him, maybe more in the tactical aspect where, at 17, obviously you are not at the best level of your career.”

Nwaneri made history as the youngest player in Premier League history at 15 years and 181 days when Arteta gave him his debut in September 2022.

Now he is being rewarded for his foresight and gradual development of a player who only turned professional last spring and is not 18 until March this year.

“I think he is going to be an amazing player in the future,” Merino enthused. ”We  have to make sure that we help him, we make him feel comfortable on the pitch.

“The rest, with the talent he has and the mentality he shows in every game and every training session, he is going to keep growing, keep learning and become an amazing player.“

Next up for Merino is his first match against Manchester City following his summer signing from Real Sociedad.

City, despite their troubles this season, can close the gap to Arsenal to just three points with a win on Sunday and Merino is wary of their threat.

“Everyone is talking about them being bad this year but if you look at the table they are not that far away,” he added. “With the players they have they will always be there.

“It is a huge game. We are in a good dynamic. Winning at Girona, which as I know from experience is really difficult, gives us a boost.”