Nathan Butler-Oyedeji says 24-year-old Arsenal man has helped him so much in training

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Arsenal youngster Nathan Butler-Oyedeji has said that forward Eddie Nketiah has been helping him get better in training.

Butler-Oyedeji was speaking on The Beautiful Game Podcast about his time at Arsenal up to this point.

Mikel Arteta has a great track record of giving young players a chance to impress in training.

He regularly calls up under-21s and under-18s to join the first-team squad throughout the week.

One player who has enjoyed this treatment in the past 12 months in forward Nathan Butler-Oyedeji.

The 20-year-old was spotted in training last season, although he’s yet to make his competitive debut for the club.

During last year’s World Cup, he was part of the squad that travelled to Dubai and played in several friendlies.

And Butler-Oyedeji has said that Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson were so helpful while he was training with Arsenal’s first team.

The pair know exactly what it’s like making the transition from Arsenal’s academy to the senior side.

Butler-Oyedeji will be hoping to replicate their journey in the next few seasons.

Nketiah helping Butler-Oyedeji in Arsenal training

Asked which players had taken him under their wing, Butler-Oyedeji said: “Eddie [Nketiah] and Reiss [Nelson], they took me under [their wing]. Yeah Eddie and Reiss, they were good with me.

“Obviously, because Eddie, I sometimes play as a nine as well, he tells me. He’s so sharp in the box, so I just try and pick up little tips here and there and he can see what I’m good at as well.

“When I do something good, he’s like ‘Yeah, well done, continue doing this’.

“And with Reiss the same as I can play wide as well. They’re both top, top players and they came from the youth [academy] so they both clearly have the quality and the mentality to get where I want.

“So, I’m trying to draw that information like a sponge.”

Butler-Oyedeji could learn an awful lot from Nketiah as the 24-year-old is arguably Arsenal’s best finisher.

He’s brilliant in the box but still needs to work on other aspects of his game such as his link-up play.

However, new signing Declan Rice has already noticed a big improvement in Nketiah’s game this summer.

Butler-Oyedeji will hope training with Nketiah can have a similar effect on his game.

He’s unlikely to get an opportunity in the first team next season, but another loan move might be beneficial to his development.