Ethan Nwaneri given 'perfect' Martin Odegaard verdict ahead of pivotal Arsenal clash

Arsenal take on Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, and Ethan Nwaneri is one of the young stars who could be set to start in the clash at Deepdale.

The 17-year-old has made five appearances for the Gunners so far this season, including one start in the Carabao Cup. During that clash against Bolton, Nwaneri was on the scoresheet twice, his first professional goals for the club.

While excitement is high over the young talent, Mikel Arteta has been careful with his young star, despite making him the youngest ever Premier League player when giving him his Arsenal debut at the age of 15 as a substitute against Brentford.

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When asked about the possibility of Nwaneri and young teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly starting against Liverpool last weekend, Arteta said: "They are in contention. They always give us the option and the possibility to start the game. Myles came on the other night and he did really well. Ethan the same. They are first-team players. They are with us and we treat them and value the same way as any other player."

While Nwaneri did make an appearance for five minutes against Arne Slot's side, he looks set for a start against Preston. And former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit says it is the exact right moment to see what he could do as a replacement for captain Martin Odegaard, who is closing in on a return from an ankle injury.

"Preston is a perfect game to give minutes to Ethan Nwaneri, Lewis Miles-Skelly and other youngsters in the team," Petit told Jeffbet. "Mikel Arteta needs to rest the spine of the team.

"With the injuries against Liverpool, I'm very confident he will field a heavily-rotated side, especially with Newcastle coming up on the weekend.

"This is Nwaneri's time to show he's the back up to Martin Odegaard, of course. Arsenal's tradition is to bring youth into the starting XI, and they need these games to make that step."

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