Why Ethan Nwaneri does not get dressed in the dressing room with teammates | OneFootball

He may have played in at least 14 Premier League games for Arsenal this season, but Ethan Nwaneri is still 17 and does not receive the same treatment as an adult. The youngster earned his debut for Arsenal at just 15 and has continued to develop at an impressive rate, perhaps faster than many had expected.

At the weekend, Nwaneri scored a superb goal for Arsenal against Manchester City, and performances like that make it feel as though he could be a special player for the Gunners in the future. The club has been eager to ensure that the young talent stays grounded, carefully managing his involvement in the senior team to avoid overwhelming him with too many appearances.

Despite his performances for the first team, Nwaneri, along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, has not slowed down and is now considered an important part of the senior squad. Yet, for all his success on the pitch, there are still rules that prevent him from being fully integrated into the senior squad in certain ways. Despite being a regular in the first team, Nwaneri is not allowed to change in the senior team dressing room just yet. This is because of regulations that state he must be 18 before he can do so. Mikel Arteta has confirmed this in his comments ahead of the match against Newcastle United.

Arteta explained, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

“When you see those two (Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri) walking next to each other, talking to each other, there is a bond there and a chemistry there. I imagine for them it is special because at the moment they are still in different dressing rooms [at the training ground]. Ethan cannot be in our dressing room still, which is unbelievable. He needs to get dressed somewhere else, even on match day. So to have somebody close to him that has that trust, that confidence, that link, I think it is lucky. They are very lucky to have each other.”

In just a few weeks, Nwaneri will turn 18, and the rules around his involvement in the senior dressing room will change. However, the most important thing for the young attacker is that he is performing well for the first team, and his future looks bright at Arsenal.