'Bring Ethan in!' - Mikel Arteta admits he was pressured into handing 16-year-old wonderkid Nwaneri his first appearance of the season with Arsenal six goals in front at West Ham

As Arsenal produced one of their best performances this season, Nwaneri made his first senior appearance of the season as he came off the bench in the 77th minute for Gabriel Martinelli. Arteta revealed after the game that he wasn't planning on bringing the youngster on, but changed his mind because his team-mates on the bench wanted to see Nwaneri on the field.

Talking to the media, Arteta said: “There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates. I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering ‘Bring Ethan in!’, which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your teammates to give you the ball all the time. If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it’s a great sign.”

In 2022, Nwaneri made headlines when he came off the bench to make his Premier League debut against Brentford at the age of 15 years and 181 days. He became the youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League. Even though Nwaneri has since been in the first team picture for training and matchday squads, Arsenal supporters hadn't seen him play in the first team since that day. On Sunday, Nwaneri finally made his second Premier League appearance, entering the game with 13 minutes of regular time left to play.

It is obvious that Nwaneri has the trust and confidence of his team-mates , however, it remains to be seen if Arteta will be willing to give the youngster more responsibilities as Arsenal draw towards a tight title fight. The Gunners will next be in action when they take on Burnley on February 17.