Jack Wilshere says Arsenal have four special youngsters coming through the ranks

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Jack Wilshere has told The Athletic that Arsenal have four special youngsters coming through the ranks in Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bradley Ibrahim and Jimi Gower. 

Mikel Arteta has a wealth of exciting youngsters at his disposal at Arsenal, including the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba.

The Hale End academy has produced some exceptional talents in recent years, with Saka going on to become one of the brightest prospects in world football and even Emile Smith Rowe was making a huge impact before picking up an injury this season.

Wilshere is another former player to come through the academy set-up in north London and while he didn’t quite manage to reach his full potential due to injuries, he’s now overseeing the next generation at London Colney.

The Gunners Under-18s head coach watched his side book their place in the FA Youth Cup semi-final last week with a 3-2 win over Cambridge United.

And Wilshere has heaped praise on four youngsters in the academy set-up at Arsenal.

Wilshere on special youngsters at Arsenal

Speaking to The Athletic, Wilshere says that Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Ibrahim and Gower all do things that you simply cannot coach. 

“It depends what you are,” Wilshere responded when asked what he wants from his midfielders.

“There are some things that you see from Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Bradley Ibrahim, Jimi Gower — they do things you can’t coach. That’s why they’re at Arsenal.

“They need a few things tactically. I like my midfielders to be on the half-turn, play forward and touch forward, dribble if you can.”

Of course, Nwaneri made history earlier in the season as he became the youngest ever player to feature in the Premier League after coming on as a late substitute in the 3-0 win over Brentford.

The 15-year-old has not been involved with the first-team since but he has been ever present in Wilshere’s Under-18s side this season. 

Gower and Ibrahim are both 18-years-old and just like Nwaneri, they operate in the middle of the park. The pair are yet to make their debut under Arteta but Ibrahim has been named amongst the substitutes in the Europa League on two occasions this season.

Myles-Skelly is another midfielder coming through the ranks at Arsenal and at 16, he looks set to have a bright future ahead of him.

The four youngsters are clearly making an impression on Wilshere in the Under-18s set-up and it seems that Arsenal could have some more talented players coming through the Hale End academy.