Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri said he was buzzing after scoring twice against Bolton Wanderers in the EFL cup on Wednesday.
The Gunners ran riot in a 5-1 win against Bolton with Nwaneri scoring a brace. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling completed the scoring for Arsenal. A comfortable win for the London club after a difficult run of fixtures last week, facing Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City.
With Martin Odegaard injured and Declan Rice suspended, Ethan Nwaneri was tipped to start the North London derby. Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fàbregas had a lot of praise for the youngster, and backed him to start that game:
“I have no doubt, that if Mikel [Arteta] puts him in the starting 11, or even on during the game, it’s because he’s seen that he’s good enough to make an impact.
“He’s on his [Arteta’s] mind and if he’s part of the squad it’s because he really believes that he can bring something to the table.”
Arsenal went with a midfield of Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz, beating Spurs 1-0 away from home.
Ethan Nwaneri speaks on first Arsenal goals
The 17-year old spoke on how the game went, and his performance after he scored a brace in the match.
“I’m buzzing,” he said. “I’m so happy to have helped the team go through to the next round and just ready for whatever’s next.”
Supporters at Emirates Stadium liked what they saw, so much so they began signing “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own.”
“It’s a great feeling when the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with the fans are chanting that,” he said. “So yeah, it’s a good feeling. It’s a surreal feeling. It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it, it’s crazy… just want more of it.
Youngster proud of making history with Academy teammates
Nwaneri was not the only Arsenal academy player on the pitch against Bolton. U18 goalkeeper Jack Porter, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Josh Nichols.
The youngster spoke on the feeling of playing with his academy teammates:
“All of those players that I’ve played with since I’ve been like nine and now we’re on the big pitch together, it’s a crazy feeling. You know, it’s good.”
When asked how he has been received by the first team players, Nwaneri had a lot of positive words about them:
“It’s been tough,” he said. “It’s been intense, but I think it’s definitely helped me as a player, helped me to see what it’s like, how they prepare. I think I’ve added that to my game, so definitely it’s been good to be around them players.
“100% I think there’s a perfect balance for when they’re on me and kind of telling me what to do, but definitely I think they definitely put an arm around me as well so I think it’s a good balance.”
