Arsenal have a hidden gem.
Arsenal fans were disappointed when Andries Jonker left the club in 2017.
He was the man appointed by Arsene Wenger to help overhaul their youth system. Some of the work Jonker undertook is still paying off today.
Currently the boss of Telstar in Holland, Jonker has been speaking to The Sun about his time at The Gunners.
Jonker said there were three players who he considered to be elite talents in the Arsenal youth system at the time.
One he said is Reiss Nelson, who is currently a part of Mikel Arteta’s first team.
Another is Marcus McGuane, now at Nottingham Forest, after a stint at Barcelona.
The third player Jonker says is a secret, with the talent still at the club and hoping to break through.
He said: “At Arsenal, we had about 250 youth players. I was convinced three of them could make it all the way to the Emirates and the English national team.
“One is Reiss Nelson, one is Marcus McGuane and the other one is not there yet, he’s younger. Maybe I will mention it one day.”
Jonker does not want to add any unnecessary pressure on the young player’s shoulders.
It’s likely though that by age profile, he isn’t too far off the under-23s right now.
Arsenal have other top talents too, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka to name two, and Gabriel Martinelli who was signed last summer.
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