Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reiterated his affection for the ‘incredible’ Eddie Nketiah after his performance last night.
The Gunners ended a run of two successive defeats by winning 2-0 away to Southampton – their first victory during Project Restart.
And it was the 21-year-old who fired Arsenal into a first-half lead when his high-energy pressing forced goalkeeper Alex McCarthy into a loose pass which Nketiah tapped into an empty net seconds later.
The United Kingdom is enjoying a heatwave at the moment, with Wednesday being the hottest day of 2020 so far as temperatures hit almost 33 degrees.
And Arteta was full of praise for Nketiah for carrying out his pressing instructions, despite the sweltering heat at St Mary’s.
He told a press conference via Football London: “Eddie since I joined, the maturity is incredible. I demand a lot from the forward players and they’ve done it.
“A lot of goals we score are because of the errors we force. In that heat it’s not the nicest thing to do but it’s important because it generates belief in what we do.”
Nketiah’s evolution since Arteta took the reins at Arsenal in December is really something special.
The England Under-21 international was stuck on Leeds United’s bench in the Championship during the first half of the campaign, but now he’s leading the Gunners’ line in Premier League games and it’s testament to coach and player that he’s come so far.
The Spaniard is clearly a big believer in his talents, having started him in five Premier League outings since January, and that belief is obviously paying dividends.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
