“He’s now a very different player now, i can’t believe how fast he has developed, if he continues like this, he will be my favorite player”- Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s 24-years old star is so much stronger and ready for a fresh start now

Mikel Arteta said 24-year-old Arsenal man is so much stronger now

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested that young forward Eddie Nketiah is so much stronger now.

Arteta was speaking to the press ahead of their huge match against Manchester United today.

Arsenal have just seen title rivals Manchester City dispatch Fulham after they failed to beat Marco Silva’s side.

They now find themselves five points behind Man City and will know that beating Manchester United is imperative today.

However, Mikel Arteta has some big decisions to make when it comes to today’s team selection.

Kai Havertz has struggled since arriving from Chelsea and could be replaced by Fabio Vieira.

He’s also got to decide who’s going to start at centre-forward.

Arteta has been impressed with Eddie Nketiah recently and commented on how much stronger he is now.

Gabriel Jesus was fit enough to start on the bench last weekend and could be handed his first start of the season.

However, it would be very harsh to not give Nketiah the nod considering how he’s started the campaign.

Arteta says Nketiah is so much stronger now

Speaking about the 24-year-old, Arteta said: “There’s a lot of things that he has improved. Firstly, his game understanding and his decision-making as well especially in certain phases in ball possession.

“I think his aggression without the ball, his intensity, the way he reacts to that.

“I think physically when you look at him, he’s very different. I just put a picture of him this morning when he was playing in Hale End to now and he’s a different player.

“And he’s worked so hard to achieve that and what I like the most is his mentality.

“And this keeps evolving because he’s never going to be satisfied, that’s just the way he is.”

Nketiah is no longer a youngster coming through the ranks at Arsenal and will want to push to be the club’s starting striker.

Arteta is clearly a huge fan of Nketiah and has been impressed with how much stronger he looks.

He loves him so much that he was happy to sell Folarin Balogun to Monaco after a sensational season in France.

He’ll want to repay that faith, especially if given the nod against Manchester United today.