Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri said his two goals in a first-ever start for the club in their 5-1 rout of Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday was the realisation of years of dreaming of just such a night.
And the 17-year-old is hungry for more.
“It’s surreal,” Nwaneri told reporters. “It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it, it’s crazy, I just want more of it.”
On the heels of a gruelling 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester City on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta shuffled his squad, giving both Nwaneri and 16-year-old keeper Jack Porter their first starts.
Two years earlier, Arteta had made Nwaneri the Premier League’s youngest player when he sent the then-15-year-old on as a late substitute against Brentford.
Nwaneri played with a veteran’s poise on Wednesday, striking in both halves to help Arsenal secure a berth in the League Cup fourth round. Arteta was thrilled with what he saw.
“He’s improving daily,” Arteta said. “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. 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,” Arteta added. “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.”
The teenager was embraced by home supporters at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, who belted out “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own.”
“It’s a great feeling when it’s the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with, and the fans are chanting that,” he said.
Nwaneri was a late substitute in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sept. 15, but did not feature in Sunday’s draw with City.
“It’s been intense, but I think it’s definitely helped me as a player, and helped me to see what it’s like, and how they prepare,” Nwaneri said of his time with the senior team.
“Definitely it’s been good to be around those players. There’s a perfect balance for when they’re on me and telling me what to do, but they definitely put an arm around me, too, so it’s a good balance.”
Nwaneri joined Arsenal when he was eight and was already playing for their under-18 side by the age of 14.
The academy graduate’s contribution was most welcome amid a gruelling stretch of games for the Gunners, with their next Premier League game on Saturday against Leicester and then a Champions League clash with Paris St Germain three days later.
“They need to see the door is open, the possibility is there,” Arteta said of his younger players. “It’s achievable and hopefully that message gets across.”