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Gary Neville noticed interesting exchange between £45m Arsenal star and Ethan Nwaneri vs Spurs
Ethan Nwaneri made his north London derby debut on Sunday as Arsenal recorded a 1-0 win over Tottenham in N17.
A towering header from Gabriel Magalhaes in the 64th minute secured all three points for the Gunners, and also cemented a special moment in the aforementioned 17-year-old’s life as he celebrated victory on enemy soil.
As Ethan Nwaneri entered the pitch – however – Gary Neville noticed an interesting exchange between the Arsenal wonderkid and Gabriel Jesus…
What Gary Neville spotted happening between Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri
As the teenager entered the pitch for what was just his third Premier League appearance, the Brazil international was deep in conversation with him.
Neville – who amassed 400 Premier League appearances for Manchester United – seemed to have a strong understanding of what was being said, as he live on Sky Sports: “Jesus has told Nwaneri, you go up top and I’ll manage the right hand side. I like that.”
Superb leadership from the man, to say the least.
Jesus recognised that it made far more sense for him – as the more experienced player – to sit in and defend, allowing Nwaneri to be used as an outlet on the counter attack with his pace, rather than a potential liability in a defensive sense.
Of course, one job is easier than the other in the tense final minutes of a north London derby, so it was admirable of the Brazil international to shoulder the defensive burden, and allow his teenage teammate to focus on a much less risky task in N17.
Fortunately, the wonderkid was actually able to feature – Nwaneri spooked Arsenal fans during the international break with an injury scare while playing for the England U19 side.
Mikel Arteta will be proud of the Arsenal No.9
As immensely talented as Nwaneri – who Cesc Fabregas adores – is, some nerves surely crept in as he entered the pitch, so Mikel Arteta must have been incredibly pleased to see Jesus step up and initiate a presumably calming chat with the Enfield-born prodigy.
Arsenal need to look out for the Hale End graduate, and he will surely realise his huge potential much sooner if the experienced stars in the squad – such as Jesus – keep putting arms around his shoulder to guide him.
Hopefully, this is just the first of many north London derbies for Nwaneri, who looks set to have a very bright career in football.