Mikel Merino reserved special praise for Ethan Nwaneri in the wake of Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Brentford, backing the ‘unbelievable’ youngster to have a ‘bright future’ in the game.
Nwaneri became the youngest Premier League player in history when he came off the bench in Arsenal’s 3-0 at Brentford back in September 2022, aged just 15 years and 181 days.
Returning to the stadium to make his full Premier League debut on New Year’s Day, Nwaneri, 17, produced an outstanding all-round display as the Gunners reduced Liverpool’s lead at the top to six points.
Nwaneri would have been a strong candidate for the man-of-the-match award had it not been for another fine performance from a resurgent Gabriel Jesus, who netted for a sixth time in four games.
‘He is an unbelievable player and also a really nice guy, really shy,’ Merino – who scored Arsenal’s second – told Super Sport when asked about Nwaneri shortly after the final whistle in west London.
‘He’s always keen to learn and try to listen to the more experienced players, the coach. Whatever can make him a better player, he’s always looking for.
‘But it’s not only him, all the young kids who are training with us, maybe not playing, but in the training sessions you can see that the academy is a big thing in this club also.
‘They are such good players at such a young age that it is scary sometimes.
‘I remember when I was 17, I was just a little kid, and these guys are playing against some of the best teams in Europe, the Premier League, the Champions League and they don’t care about it.
‘We have to take care of them because they have a bright future ahead of them.’
The Spain midfielder added: ‘I think it’s the best way to start the new year.
‘Hopefully, with a lot of good news in the future, but we are really, really happy for the way the game has gone.
‘Winning here, at such a difficult place, starting with a goal against us and being able to come back was great. Hopefully we can build up from here.’
Merino is confident ‘good things will come’ if Arsenal continue to focus on themselves rather than results elsewhere.
‘The reality is that we have to be focused on ourselves. That’s the thing we have to do to try to win games,’ he continued.
‘The things that happen away from that is something that we cannot control so just focus on the things you can control and improve and try to work hard every single game.
‘Then, whatever happens, happens, but focus on yourself and good things will come, for sure.’
Merino is pleased Arsenal’s set-piece work on the training field continues to pay off in matches, with the Spaniard’s 50th-minute goal coming from a goalmouth scramble following a corner.
‘We train a lot on it. It’s something that, in the modern game, is really important,’ he said.
‘The amount of goals you can score and the amount of points you can earn through set-pieces, that’s why we train a lot. When you train it and you put all of your effort and mentality on it, it shows in games.
‘We have been a big threat in that area, not only offensively but also defensively. I think we’re a big team in that aspect and hopefully we still have room for improvement.’
On his celebration, Merino explained: ‘I think you also saw it in the Euros. It was the most famous moment.
‘But yeah, it’s something I’ve been doing for a while. My father was a footballer as well and he used to do that celebration for my grandma.
‘It’s a way to honour him and show off respect for my father and how much I love and respect him.’
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