EINDHOVEN — Mikel Arteta says he would have proudly played England if a technicality hadn’t stopped him. Now the Arsenal manager has the chance to do something maybe even greater and guide two of his adopted country’s brightest young stars into the realms of glory.
Arteta never won a cap for his native Spain but was approached to play for England in 2010, having naturalised during his first five years at Everton.
Caps for the Spain Under-21s stopped him making the switch but he stayed in England permanently, playing for the Toffees, Arsenal, coaching at Manchester City and now managing the Gunners.
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And on Tuesday night, two of his young charges reminded everyone that Arteta has already set in motion something that could end up making England very proud of him indeed.
Even by being named on the team-sheet, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri had already joined Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham as the only three Englishman to have started a Champions League knockout game before the age of 18.
Within 21 minutes against PSV Eindhoven he had got on the scoresheet too, the third youngest player ever – English or not – to do so in this competition’s knockout stages, and while Arsenal had been wobbling when half-time came, after the break a brilliant Nwaneri assist set up his team’s fourth goal. “A nice little stepover and putting into the corridor of uncertainty,” as Daniel Sturridge casually put it on Amazon Prime Video. Man Utd loanee Tyrell Malacia, tasked with stopping Nwaneri, was certainly powerless to stop him.
On the other side of the pitch, left back Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed for the first 22 minutes, and then reminded everyone that he is the older of the Gunners’ teenage sensations, but not necessarily the wiser.
Let’s start with the good: a full-back ultimately he can also play in midfield, a crucial factor in Arteta’s system which requires the left back to tuck in front of the defensive line in possession. It was in that position that Lewis-Skelly wriggled free from two pressing PSV players, turned and found Leandro Trossard in space out wide. Two passes later it was 1-0, and it was 2-0 when he made a run forward into the box, underlapping as a more classic full-back and finding fellow teenager Nwaneri for a first-time finish.
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But only two minutes later he was booked for pulling down Luuk de Jong, stopping a promising move illegally, and he was then very fortunate not receive a second for diving in late and injudiciously on Richard Ledezma.
“What the referee has judged is it’s just a careless challenge,” said former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg. “He goes for the ball, it’s late. If he hadn’t been cautioned [already], he would have got a caution for that, but that certainly isn’t a second yellow card.”
On commentary, Alan Shearer disagreed, as did most observers and of course the PSV fans. “Uefa mafia,” they sang.
Arteta took fate or alleged corruption out of it shortly afterwards, replacing him before what seemed an inevitable red card. “He took it really well,” his captain Martin Odegaard revealed afterwards.
Arteta explained: “I didn’t want to take any risk.
“The game could change immediately. They are very experienced players, they know what to do [to get him sent off] and he is very young so I think we have to protect him.”
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That, anyone would agree, he does. For their sakes’, for Arsenal’s sake and for England’s sake. Players like these two do not come along often. Lewis-Skelly has already felt the heat of the spotlight, wrongly sent off at Wolves in hugely controversial circumstances and then justifiably dismissed against West Ham a little over a week ago.
But Arteta clearly trusts him, something that is not easily one. Multiple players have walked away from Arsenal in recent years over frustration at not being given a chance in the first team. Even next week, defending a 7-1 lead, few expect the manager to give cheap minutes to young players who have not featured before.
Nwaneri was always the exception. He wasn’t even 16 when he made his Premier League debut, the league’s youngest ever player, in September 2022. His appearance sent the hype machine into overdrive and as Arsenal struggled for forward pizzazz, Gunners fans cried out for Arteta to give him more time, but the boss would not give in: that one-minute debut was his only league appearance that season and he did not start a game domestically until January of this year.
That was seemingly forced by injuries to, among others, Bukayo Saka, but Nwaneri is not a natural right winger.
“Even if Saks [sic] was still here, Ethan would be still in and around the team and getting minutes, because, trust me, he trains that well, and he’s that good,” said Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice on Tuesday night.
“He’s 17 years old, playing on the biggest stage in football. It’s crazy.”
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He was quick to praise Lewis-Skelly too, and he wasn’t the only one.
“[Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly] are unbelievable. But they play like they’ve been here for many years already,” added Odegaard, who himself was a wunderkind who became his country’s youngest cap at the age of 15 and Real Madrid’s ever youngest debutant at the time a year later.
“They have so much quality, so much confidence. They’re really ready for it. I’m not too worried about them.”
And another teenage sensation was quick to heap praise particularly on Nwaneri in response.
“He was incredible,” said former England captain Wayne Rooney.
“At 17 years of age to come and play in the knockout stage of the Champions League, to show his flair, his ability, his willingness to get shot off, I thought was fantastic.”
They are queuing up to anoint Nwaneri, who will turn 18 in two weeks. Such fame and acclaim at an early age does not always end well. At least in Arteta, England can expect that he will do his duty.
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