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‘Dynamic’ 19-year-old Arsenal youngster called up to training by Mikel Arteta ahead of Sevilla clash

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Young midfielder Bradley Ibrahim has been called up to train with Arsenal’s first team ahead of their Champions League tie with Sevilla tonight.

Journalist Jeorge Bird shared on social media that the 19-year-old was one of several youngsters given the nod by Mikel Arteta to join the senior squad.

It’s a huge game for Arteta’s side this evening as they look to get their European campaign back on track.

A straightforward win over PSV Eindhoven was followed up by a surprise defeat to Lens which completely opened up their group.

A double header against Sevilla is now on the horizon for Arsenal and a win tonight would give them a huge boost in their quest to reach the knockout stages.

The expanded benches in the Champions League provide opportunities for Arteta to include several youngsters if he wants to.

Third-choice goalkeeper Karl Hein is the closest to an academy youngster to feature so far but Arteta has given several academy stars the chance to impress behind the scenes.

One of those players is Bradley Ibrahim who was spotted with the Arsenal squad in training ahead of tonight’s match against Sevilla.

Exeter City v Arsenal U21: EFL Trophy
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The teenager is highly regarded at the club and captained the under-18s during their run to the FA Youth Cup final last year.

He’s yet to make his senior debut but just being surrounded by the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in training will help him improve.

Ibrahim in Arsenal training ahead of Sevilla match

The 19-year-old has described himself as a ‘dynamic deep midfielder or box-to-box midfielder’ which is a role causing some issues in the team right now.

Against Chelsea, Arteta lined up with a midfield of Rice, Odegaard and Jorginho.

The England international was sensational, but Jorginho struggled and without Granit Xhaka, left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko isn’t hitting the same heights he did last season.

Kai Havertz was signed in the summer from Chelsea to fill this role and it would be a surprise if he didn’t start tonight.

Ibrahim can play that role and working with the Arsenal squad in training so early in his development as they get ready to face Sevilla will only help him in the future.

FBL-EUR-C1-ARSENAL-TRAINING
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images

He’s already an England under-18 international and has featured in both of Arsenal’s Youth League matches so far.

Ibrahim loves a yellow card too, picking up four in his first six Premier League 2 matches this season.

If he can improve his discipline, he might not be far away from making the step up from the under-21 squad to the first team in the future.