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England U-21 coach admits Ethan Nwaneri isn’t ready to be a starter

Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri was named in the England U19 squad for games against Portugal and the Netherlands during the international break.

The midfielder scored in England U19s 2-1 loss to Portugal on Wednesday. Nwaneri earned the call up after his performances at club level last month. Impressive cameos against Spurs and Leicester, and a brace against Bolton in the League Cup caught the eye.

The England youth international is highly rated at Arsenal and could feature more in the first team this season. Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes Nwaneri has the ability to be a great player.

“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.”

Joleon Lescott says Ethan Nwaneri is going to be a great player

Lescott joined Lee Carsley’s coaching staff for England’s senior national team. The former Manchester City defender spent the last three years coaching England U21 with Carsley.

Lescott believes Nwaneri is a talent, but is not ready for a higher level:

“Yeah I’ve seen enough to know that he’s comfy you know what I mean? He’s going to be a baller, but that position was that left wing, right wing so it was Noni and Harvey, so should he play ahead of them?” Lescott said.

“As great as he is and as good as he’s going to be, there’s someone there who’s actually doing it.”

Nwaneri has over 30 caps for England at youth level; from U16 to U19 and is touted as one of the best prospects in the country.

Mikel Arteta is a big fan of Arsenal youngster

After Nwaneri scored a brace in front of the Emirates against Bolton, Mikel Arteta sang his praises.

“He’s improving daily,” he added. “They really respect him. You can tell he’s playing without pressure, with confidence, with a way of making decisions that tells you that the boy is ready at this level. Today he had a really strong performance and I’m happy to see that.

“A lot of positives to take from it, first of all the performance and then the way we scored the goals. We gave minutes, deserved minutes to a lot of first team players that needed them. As well we had obviously very important debuts as well that make us really proud.”