Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has admitted his frustration at his role under Mikel Arteta – and he didn’t enjoy a great afternoon today.
Nketiah led the line for England’s Under-21’s today as they took on Switzerland, but he suffered a poor afternoon in a shock 1-0 defeat.
The 21-year-old will have been desperate to impress having struggled for playing time at Arsenal this season, but it just wasn’t to be for him today.
Ahead of the game, boss Aidy Boothroyd – who now finds himself under huge pressure after today’s defeat – admitted concerns over Nketiah.
Boothroyd told Football.London that he has concerns over Nketiah’s fitness and sharpness, given that Arsenal haven’t been picking him.
Boothroyd talked up Nketiah as a goalscorer and a key player, and promised to look after him given that Arsenal won’t want him picking up any injuries.
“I do have some concerns and we’ve had to make sure we look after him in terms of his training,” said Boothroyd. “I’ve spoken to him a couple of times on a Saturday afternoon to see how he’s doing, because he’s not been in the squad and he’s in the gym.”
“Physically, he’s tried to get in the best shape he possibly can for the tournament and he’s enjoying being back with us. He’s a key player for us, he’s a goalscorer and we will manage him and look after him through these games,” he added.
With just over a year left on his Arsenal deal, Nketiah may be better off leaving this summer; after all, he has only started three league games all season.
A number of Premier League clubs would no doubt love to sign him, and Nketiah needs to have a long, hard think about his future as a result of his playing time.
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