Ethan Nwaneri starred for Arsenal at Preston (Picture: Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta has no doubt that ‘big talent’ Ethan Nwaneri is ready to make a breakthrough into the first team after a superb performance in Arsenal’s win at Preston on Wednesday night.

The Gunners beat the Championship side 3-0 at Deepdale with Gabriel Jesus opening the scoring, Kai Havertz completing it and Nwaneri scoring a peach of a second.

The midfielder is just 17 years old but has already featured four times in the Premier League this season and has helped Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Asked if the teenager is ready to force his way into the first team even more regularly, Arteta was clear, saying: ‘Certainly! If not he wouldn?t have played tonight, he wouldn?t have played three days ago against Liverpool.
‘He?s there. He?s showing every day what he?s capable of. You see his teammates, they give the ball all the time. That?s a great sign. We?ve got some player there.’

The youngster’s goal was a fabulous left-footed strike, curling the ball into the top corner from outside the penalty area, but Arteta revealed he saw the same finish from him just a day earlier.

‘He did it yesterday in training so we?re getting used to that,’ said the Spaniard. ‘He?s a big talent, he?s got the right attitude, he?s got the right players and context around him and we need to make sure that we put brick by brick. But we have some pl...