Mikel Arteta should unleash ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal youngster vs Atalanta in the Champions League

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After beating Tottenham Hotspur with a depleted squad last weekend, Arsenal now face two more crucial away trips on Thursday and Sunday.

Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side will travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday – a day previously reserved for the club’s unwelcome Europa League trips.

Then it will be a quick turnaround to return to London before embarking on a third away game in the space of seven days for the Gunners.

Fortunately, Arsenal anticipated this kind of schedule in the summer, and made stellar attempts to improve Arteta’s squad depth, signing the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.

But with both missing and other injuries cropping up in the squad, Arsenal will once again need to be more creative with their remedies this week.

Ethan Nwaneri ready for his full Arsenal debut in the Champions League

Ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Italy, Jorginho has described Atalanta as a ‘very physical’ side, a team he knows well from his time in the Serie A.

Therefore, some may not consider it the perfect time for Ethan Nwaneri to make his first start for Arsenal, after all, he’s only 17-years-old.

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That being said, those who watched the North London derby and have been following Nwaneri’s progress know that he’s an exception to the rule.

Despite his age and experience, Nwaneri had the aura of a top, top player in his brief cameo against Tottenham, a player already equipped to cope in tricky situations.

And with Declan Rice back to play alongside either Jorginho or Thomas Partey as the six, Nwaneri is perfectly suited to the number 10 role.

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It’s not an exaggeration to say that Nwaneri has been ‘unbelievable’ every time he’s touched a football of late, be it for Arsenal or England’s youth sides, he’s always scoring or making an impact.

And after some careful preparation since his Premier League debut two years ago, Nwaneri is evidently ready to make his first team breakthrough.

Emile Smith Rowe is excelling since he left Arsenal, a departure which some of the club’s supporters may still question.

However, both Edu and Arteta will have been aware of Nwaneri’s exceptional potential, a talent ready to go beyond Smith Rowe in North London.

It’s important not to set the expectation too high for Nwaneri, but it seems as if he can handle the pressure regardless.