“This is the time I want to reveal what I said to Nwaneri in 2022”- Arsenal Ex player Granit Xhaka reveals what he said to Ethan Nwaneri in 2022 when he made his Arsenal debut

“This is the time I want to reveal what I said to Nwaneri in 2022”- Arsenal Ex player Granit Xhaka reveals what he said to Ethan Nwaneri in 2022 when he made his Arsenal debut

Ethan Nwaneri made his Arsenal debut aged 15 years, five months and 28 days back in 2022 during a 3-0 win over Brentford away from home.

Granit Xhaka was captaining Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side on that occasion, who won thanks to goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira.

Arsenal were excellent against then Brentford goalkeeper David Raya that day, and Nwaneri played his first minutes for the club coming on in the 92nd minute.

At the time, Arteta’s decision was criticised by some pundits who couldn’t understand why Nwaneri was playing so early on, with some suggesting that he hadn’t earned that chance.

However, the Arsenal manager was clearly demonstrating to Nwaneri that he had exceptional faith in his ability, a youngster he wanted to keep incentivised.

Granit Xhaka said Ethan Nwaneri was different to other Arsenal youngsters

That being said, Xhaka, who ended up leaving Arsenal in 2023, made some comments about Nwaneri’s ability after the game.

Xhaka said that there was a ‘big difference’ between Nwaneri and other youngsters at the club, talent which was seemingly hard to ignore

Three years later, Nwaneri is now being praised by Arsene Wenger, and Xhaka was clearly spot on with his ‘very special’ assessment.

Speaking after Nwaneri’s debut, Xhaka said: “You can see a big difference with him and the other guys.

“He is very special. He looks old when I see him. I told a Brentford player that he was 15 and he looked at me and said: ‘we are looking old!’

“When you have 15 years difference you think, okay, the time is not gone but it is on the way.”

Rio Ferdinand was also convinced about Ethan Nwaneri’s ability

Of course, Xhaka wasn’t alone in recognising Nwaneri’s talent – former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand also praised the youngster after his debut.

Speaking recently, Micah Richards thinks Ethan Nwaneri can be a striker for Arsenal one day.

But when reflecting on Nwaneri’s talent back in 2022, Ferdinand simply declared that he thought Nwaneri had Phil Foden level of potential.

Speaking on his podcast, Ferdinand said: “There’s no doubting this kid’s ability.

“I’ve heard from coaches that are at the club and from various different people in the game at that level that there aren’t many 15-year-olds in the last 10 or so years that have got the ability that this guy’s shown on a consistent basis.

“We are talking the Fodens of this world. At 15, he’s at a similar level they’re talking.”

A truly special talent who is now getting a chance in the wake of Bukayo Saka’s injury.

And Arsenal fans will already be so excited to see the pair play together once Saka is back fit.