Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka (Photo by Ryan Pierse, Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Arsenal have been warned about a potential selection headache that could be about to come for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Although it’s a nice problem for a manager to have, Bukayo Saka’s imminent return from injury could give Arteta a bit of a headache in attack.
The Spanish tactician has had a number of injury problems this season, so he’ll surely just be relieved that Saka is nearing a return ahead of the business stage of the campaign.
However, it could raise questions about Ethan Nwaneri’s place in the side, according to former Middlesbrough, Liverpool and England man Stewart Downing.
Downing exclusively told Ladbrokes that he could see there being a bit of a problem as Saka and Nwaneri compete for the same place in the team.
Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka to give Mikel Arteta a headache
Nwaneri has performed superbly this season, showing why he’s long been regarded as one of the biggest prospects in the country.
Saka, however, has also turned himself into a household name since rising up through Arsenal’s academy, so he surely has to start now that he’s fit again.
Discussing the situation, Downing said: “Nwaneri is actually at a point now where you’re thinking ‘he could actually push Saka for a starting place’.
“I’m sure he can play in a number of positions, but Saka must be watching him and thinking ‘I’m going to have to be on my toes here’. For a few years now, that position out on the right has very much been his, but Nwaneri has come in and made it his own, really.
“You know, and you look at the goals he’s scoring, he’s so similar to Saka. He’s a proper Premier League player already, and he’s just turned 18.
“The problem Mikel is going to have will be ‘where do I fit him in?’ And look, it’s not a bad problem to have!”
Luckily for Arsenal, one imagines there could be a way to fit both Saka and Nwaneri into the team, as both are fairly versatile.
Either one of them could move to the other flank or probably fill in centrally if required, so it will be intriguing to see how Arteta approaches this.
Most likely, though, is that Nwaneri will get a bit of a rest after presumably playing a lot more first-team football than most people expected him to this season.
It’s some compliment, however, to the player who only recently turned 18, that he’s now being talked about as serious competition to a proven world class attacking player like Saka.
