Joe Cole has claimed that 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri should go straight into Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad following his record-breaking performance for Arsenal in their Champions League demolition of PSV Eindhoven.
Nwaneri, who turns 18 a few days after Tuchel names his England squad on 14 March, became the third-youngest player to score a Champions League knockout stage goal when he struck Arsenal’s second of their historic 7-1 victory on Tuesday night.
Nwaneri’s goal was set up by another Arsenal academy product in the 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, in what was the first time two English teeangers have combined for a goal in Champions League history, and the pair received glowing praise from Mikel Arteta.
Attacking midfielder Nwaneri has stepped up in the absence of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus and his eighth goal of the season added to his standout performances for the Gunners this campaign.
Former England midfielder Cole said that Nwaneri is the “most exciting young footballer in England and maybe Europe” and argued that the teenager should be included in Tuchel’s first England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
“For me, I’m certainly bringing him,” Cole said on TNT Sports. “He’s that good I don’t think he needs the Under-21s, in my opinion. He needs to go straight in with Thomas Tuchel, use him, get him around the players, bringing him off the bench, blooding him in.
“He’s an England player for the next 10 to 15 years. Wonderful talent. Great mentality. He’s at the right club at the right time. I would be stunned if Thomas Tuchel doesn’t look at him and wants to bring him into the next squad.”
Nwaneri does not turn 18 until later this month and only former Barcelona and Stoke forward Bojan Krkic and England international Jude Bellingham have scored a Champions League knockout stage goal at a younger age.
Bojan was 17 years and 217 days when he scored for Barcelona against Schalke in 2008, while Bellingham was 17 years and 289 days when he scored for Borussia Dortmund against Manchester City in the quarter-finals in 2021.
Nwaneri, at 17 years and 348 days, overtakes Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, who scored against Lazio just shy of his 18th birthday at 17 years and 363 days.
Just by playing, Nwaneri also became only the third English player to start a Champions League knockout match before turning 18, along with Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Nwaneri’s goal, set up by fellow academy graduate Lewis-Skelly, was the first time English teenagers had combined to score in Champions League history.
“To be doing what they are doing at 17 and 18 years old, shows incredible maturity,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “They are doing that because of how the other players support them and make them better.
“They have a lot of courage. Myles makes an assist, that’s the team that I want to see, they take initiative and they want to make things happen.”
Arsenal went on to win 7-1, with Mikel Arteta’s side all but certain of facing Real Madrid or Atletico in the quarter-finals, and captain Martin Odegaard praised the impact of the pair from the Hale End academy.
“They play like they’ve been here for many years already,” Odegaard told Amazon Prime. “They have so much quality, so much confidence. You have to enjoy it.
“I try to help them. Obviously I’ve been in a similar position. For them it’s such a natural thing. They’re here, they’re ready for it. It’s a joy to play with them.”
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