Mikel Arteta calls up 19-year-old midfield wizard to Arsenal training pre-Brighton

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been putting his players through their paces ahead of their Premier League meeting on Sunday.

The Gunners host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium in a 2pm kickoff, hoping to return to the top of the table, for a few hours at least.

Arsenal lost in the Premier League last time out and will be eager to make amends and leapfrog Liverpool before they face Manchester United at 4:30pm.

On Saturday, the Gunners published photos of their players in training at London Colney, and several Hale End talents took part in the session.

One of those was Jimi Gower, a 19-year-old midfielder who has been featuring regular for the Arsenal Under-21s this season.

Arsenal talent Jimi Gower is a ‘silky smooth midfielder’

As per the Arsenal website, he joined the Gunners in the summer of 2017 and has been rising through the ranks, earning himself a professional contract ahead of the current season.

The Arsenal media team describes Gower as a “silky smooth midfielder”, while Gunners youth team expert Jeorge Bird said he “brings much energy to his team”.

Gower has made 15 appearances this season – eight in the Premier League 2, four in the EFL Trophy, and three in the UEFA Youth League.

Arsenal youth coach Jack Wilshere previously named the youngster alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Bradley Ibrahim as standout talents in the Gunners setup.

“There are some things that you see from Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Bradley Ibrahim, Jimi Gower – they do things you can’t coach,” Wilshere told The Athletic. “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.”

It’s great to see Gower take part in senior Arsenal training. Let’s hope he gets more sessions under his belt and maybe even some minutes in the cups or at the end of the season.