Ethan Nwaneri receives England call-up verdict as Arsenal attacker compared to Arsene Wenger protege

The 17-year-old earned a richly-deserved man-of-the-match award in that 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium, where he laid on the assist for Mikel Merino's first goal and completed an astounding seven successful dribbles.

Ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole compared Nwaneri's display to eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, and the Premier League's youngest-ever player is expected to continue on the right-hand side until Bukayo Saka returns from a hamstring injury.

Fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly is already said to be under consideration for a senior England call-up next month, but Watts believes that Nwaneri - who has not even made his debut for the Under-21s - should be held back, even though Tuchel must surely be impressed by what he has seen.

"It's a tough one," Watts said. "I expect Myles Lewis-Skelly will be in just because I don't think there's many other players in that position at the moment. England aren't exactly blessed with left backs, but England have got a lot of good wide attackers.

"I don't think there's a necessity to throw Ethan straight into that England bear pit. Take your time, ease him in. There is the issue that Saka is not going to be fit, Noni Madueke picked up an injury the other day as well. Two of England's regular players who can perform out on the right aren't going to be available. Maybe Thomas Tuchel will be thinking about it.

"He's clearly one of the best players in his position at the moment, English players. So you would think on that grounds, he should be in the squad. But I do think you've got to take your time with these kids. He's played far more minutes for Arsenal than I was expecting him to play this season. And to then suddenly go straight into the England set up, maybe it's not the best idea.

"But he [Tuchel] must be tempted. You'd be mad if you're a manager watching him do this week in week out and thinking, am I going to put him in the squad? But I do think his age and experience needs to be taken into account."

Nwaneri compared to Nicolas Anelka after record-breaking performance

Whether Nwaneri is indeed chosen for Tuchel's first England squad in March - where they will face Albania and Latvia in their first World Cup 2026 qualifiers - remains to be seen, but the 2007-born protege continues to light up the Premier League and Champions League in an Arsenal shirt.

On Saturday, the 17-year-old became the youngest-ever player to complete five dribbles and set up a goal in a Premier League game - breaking the record previously set by none other than Saka himself - and only the England international and Kai Havertz have scored more goals for Arsenal in all tournaments this season.

Nwaneri came agonisingly close to improving on his seven-goal tally at the weekend, hitting the woodwork twice, and Watts can see similarities between him and former Arsenal starlet Nicolas Anelka, who won the 1997-98 Premier League title after bursting onto the scene as a teenager.

"I've seen nothing faze him at all," Watts added. "He was outstanding when everyone else was struggling. And I think that's the sign of a real special talent is when players around you are struggling and yet you are the shining light. It just shows how good he is. Every time he got the ball, he looked like something was going to happen.

"I've seen lots of good young players come through at Arsenal over the last 30 years, real special talents. Anelka, Cesc [Fabregas], Jack [Wilshere]. And he's up there, he looks perfectly at home in any situation you put him in, whether it's in the cup, in the league, in the Champions League, he just does not look out of place. He looks born to be there.

"He's a special, special talent, and he was fantastic at the weekend. He reminds me a bit of Anelka when Anelka broke through. You compare him to Myles Lewis-Skelly, obviously they came through at the same time and they're two real young kids, but very different characters.

"Lewis-Skelly's got that real confident look about him, smiles a lot. Ethan's different. He's a lot more serious. And when Anelka came through, he was very much like that. He was known as a loner, and I'm not saying Ethan is, but he was just very focused. It was all about football and move on.

"When Ethan hit the post for that shot with his right foot, there was no hands to the head. He didn't break stride. He's got this air about him where it's just all about the football. Arsenal, very, very lucky to have him."

'Nwaneri has that X-factor and aura'

Watts had previously spoken about Arsenal's need to add an "X-factor" player to their ranks in the transfer window, but the January market closed for business without the Gunners bringing in a single new face.

That risk backfired twice in the space of two weeks with injuries to Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, and Arsenal are expected to go all out for a new number nine this summer amid links with Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak.

However, in Nwaneri, Arsenal have unearthed that "X-factor player" who can win a game on his own, and despite his tender age, the teenager already has an "aura" about him.

"He's 100% that X-factor player," Watts added. "I still think they need more of him. He'll score from anywhere, he'll take it on left foot, right foot. I love the fact he took that shot on his right foot when he hit the post against Leicester, he took it really, really well. And he's shown a couple of deliveries with his right foot as well.

"Although left foot is obviously his strongest, he can go out wide, and that's great, because if you're a defender and you know he's just going to cut inside, it becomes a little bit easier to deal with. But if he's got that threat of going on the right, then it's fantastic. He does absolutely have that aura.

"Arsenal have looked for an X-factor player for a long, long time. The club have been searching in the market for one, they haven't been able to find someone that they've really wanted or been able to get. And now suddenly you've got this kid come through who is exactly that, who will open a game up out of absolutely nothing if needs be."

Arteta unsurprisingly also waxed lyrical about Nwaneri in his post-match press conference and affirmed that with the teenager in such scintillating form, it would be foolish to take him out of the starting lineup.

The Gunners boss has been equally keen to protect the growing player from too much first-team exposure, though, and Arsenal are reportedly expecting to have the more experienced Saka and Martinelli back from injury after the March international break.

Can Nwaneri threaten Saka's place in the Arsenal XI?

Saka's return in particular will give Arteta the best kind of selection headache on the right-hand side if Nwaneri carries on performing in the same vein, but he has suggested in the past that the latter could do a job in the number nine role, where Arsenal are without Gabriel Jesus and Havertz for the end of the season.

However, Watts has theorised that either Nwaneri or Martin Odegaard could move over to the left-hand side instead, as there are no doubts that Saka will be "walking back" into the XI when fully fit.

"I'm intrigued to what happens when Saka comes back," he concluded. "Obviously you're going to play Bukayo Saka, but how do you leave Ethan Nwaneri out of the team at the moment?

"You've got to surely find a way of involving him and having those two together. How do you do that when you've got Martin Odegaard in that 10 role? Could the left side be an option for him? You think no, because he's so strong cutting in on his left foot and having that trademark finish. But I really want to find a way of being able to get all those players on the pitch, because I think it'd be a completely different Arsenal side in attack.

"Saka comes straight back. He's walking back into this team when he's fit and he's ready. The fact you've got Nwaneri there allows maybe to ease Saka in a little bit rather than throw him straight in.

"I think he's a bit reluctant to do it straight away as a 17-year-old to move him out of position to play him up front. There is the option of potentially moving Martin Odegaard over to playing some of the left eight role and having Nwaneri playing where Odegaard plays now. It's a good decision for Arteta. I struggle to see how you leave Ethan Nwaneri out of this team, given what he's producing at the moment, week by week."

Leicester hero Merino has also put his name in contention for attacking starts after his brace at the weekend, although Watts also offered his reasons why introducing the Spaniard into the number nine role might not be "sustainable".

Arsenal remain seven points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table, and if the Reds defeat Aston Villa in midweek, the Gunners could be 10 points adrift of top spot by the time they return to action at home to London rivals West Ham United this weekend.

Written by

Ben Knapton