Arsene Wenger privately praised 24-year-old Arsenal player after Emirates Cup win yesterday

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Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah has shared his conversation with Arsene Wenger after his side’s Emirates Cup win against Monaco yesterday.

The Gunners finished their pre-season with a penalty shootout victory over Adi Hutter’s side. Mikel Arteta’s men weren’t at their best, but they got over the line in the end.

Nketiah wore the captain’s armband yesterday and scored the all-important equaliser in the first half. He claimed on Arsenal.com after the game that Wenger was really proud of him.

Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah says Arsene Wenger is proud of him

Eddie Nketiah has been at Arsenal for over a decade now, and it was Arsene Wenger who handed him his debut back in 2017 – a game in which he came on as a substitute and scored a brace.

The Englishman has had a lot of ups and downs in his career since that fixture.

He’s still not the first choice at the Emirates, but his progression over the last 12 months under Arteta has been excellent, and he deserves a lot of praise.

Nketiah revealed after the game yesterday that he spoke to Wenger in the dressing room. The legendary Frenchman apparently praised him for how well he has done since his departure.

He said: “I was speaking to him in the changing room after and he’s really proud of me. I’m really grateful for everything he did for me for my career, and it’s great to have such a legend here and see a new statue outside.
 
“He just told me to keep going. He thinks my game’s come on a lot since [he departed]. He’s really proud of me. Obviously, he’s seen me develop and watched me from when he first gave me my debut up until now.

“Like I said I’m really grateful and it’s really good to see him around.”

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Nketiah was brilliant for Arsenal yesterday, and Arteta needs him to carry on his form.

The Gunners boss announced after the win that Gabriel Jesus has suffered a knee injury and will be out of action for a few weeks. That means he’ll definitely miss the start of the new season.

Arsenal were in a similar situation after the World Cup back in December, when Jesus suffered a serious injury. Nketiah, then, stepped up brilliantly and kept the Gunners’ title charge going.

Now, the 24-year-old has to do the same again, and if his comments are anything to go by, Wenger certainly thinks he can.