Arsenal have a ‘thrilling’ 21-year-old who ‘could be a lot of fun’ to watch this season

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Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares delivered an impressive performance for the Gunners on Wednesday night.

The north Londoners signed the 21-year-old in the summer for a reported £8.5million on a long-term contract.

Mikel Arteta has used Tavares sparingly this season, giving him three Premier League appearances off the bench.

However, the Portuguese has played the full 90 minutes in both of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup games.

And on Wednesday night, Tavares shone in the 3-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon to seal a place in the fourth round.

So much so, in fact, that he was Arsenal fans’ Man of the Match.

Both the Evening Standard and football.london gave Tavares 7 out of 10 and praised his efforts on the night.

“Hit the post, did a foul throw, made some iffy decisions and embarked on some thrilling driving runs,” wrote the former.

“Clearly very raw but plenty to like – could be a lot of fun this season.”

And the latter wrote: “Some moments where he was a little out of position defensively and a foul throw, but looked to be an aggressive attacking threat throughout.

“Was unlucky not to get his first competitive Arsenal goal as he hit the post with a fine header.”

It’s no surprise that Tavares is raw, given his age and relative lack of senior experience – he made just 41 appearances for Benfica’s first team.

However, he’s looking very promising so far and, as he gets more experience and develops further, the Gunners could have a top player on their hands.

Here’s what some Arsenal fans made of Tavares’ Wimbledon display and his efforts so far at the Emirates: