Arsenal may just have hinted Mikel Arteta has three teenagers in his first-team squad for Lens game tonight

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal might have just hinted that Mikel Arteta plans to call up three academy prospects into the senior squad to face RC Lens tonight.

The Gunners this afternoon took on the French side’s U-19s in the UEFA Youth League, with the first-team taking on Lens at the Emirates Stadium this evening in the UEFA Champions League.

A point will secure Arsenal’s passage to the round of 16 whilst a win will confirm the north London side as group winners, and Arteta is seemingly confident about getting a result.

As per Arsenal’s U-19 squad for today, three notable names are missing in Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Charles Sagoe Jr, with the trio likely to now be part of the senior team tonight.

Indeed, with Arsenal heavy favourites for tonight’s clash against Lens despite losing the away fixture, it seems like Arteta could be planning to give some academy players their first taste of European football.

Indeed, Sagoe Jr has already made an Arsenal starting XI this season in the League Cup, whilst Nwaneri made headlines last year as the youngest Premier League player to ever feature in a match.

Mikel Arteta should hand debuts if Arsenal are cruising against Lens

With Arsenal all-but qualified from their Champions League group, giving minutes to some of the club’s most exciting youngsters should feel like a no-brainer for the north London side.

And if the Gunners find themselves with a good lead heading into the final 20 minutes tonight, there’s no reason why the likes of Lewis-Skelly or Nwaneri can’t make their Champions League debuts.

As we know, the trio are highly-rated at Arsenal with many fans expecting the three players, particularly Lewis-Kelly and Nwaneri, to become superstars in the future.

With the trio likely to be involved tonight, Arteta will be doing himself and Arsenal a huge service by giving the youngsters some minutes if the chance comes up.