Mikel Arteta calls up 17-year-old Arsenal defender to first-team training ahead of Brighton clash

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Arsenal youngster Ayden Heaven has been called up to first-team training ahead of the clash against Brighton today.

Mikel Arteta will be bidding to get back to winning ways in the Premier League following a 1-0 defeat at Villa Park last weekend.

Arsenal picked up a draw away to PSV during the week, with Arteta making a total of eight changes on the night.

The Spaniard was widely expected to hand some of Arsenal’s youngsters an opportunity on Tuesday, with the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Reuell Walters travelling to the Netherlands.

That didn’t quite materialise but it seems that a host of youngsters have been training with the senior side at London Colney this week.

Nwaneri and Walters were amongst the group once again while Ayden Heaven was also called up to first-team training.

Heaven trains with Arsenal first-team pre-Brighton

According to Jeorge Bird’s Arsenal Youth, Heaven trained with the first team ahead of today’s clash against Brighton.

The likes of Taylor Foran, Bradley Ibrahim and Lino Sousa were also involved.

Heaven has featured regularly for the Under-18s this season, racking up a total of 16 appearances. The 17-year-old has provided one assist from centre-back but can also play as a left-back. 

Of course, Arteta is currently short of options at the back after Takehiro Tomiyasu’s recent injury. He even experimented with playing Declan Rice as a centre-back on Tuesday evening.

It seems unlikely that Heaven will get an opportunity in the first team anytime soon, with Walters currently the closest to making his debut after making the bench against PSV.

But it will only benefit the talented youngster to train alongside Arsenal’s senior players.

The Gunners have plenty of talented academy products coming through the ranks at the moment and it’s brilliant to see Arteta handing them an opportunity to impress behind the scenes.