Father says his 17-year-old Arsenal prospect is training with Arteta’s first-team

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Teen sensation Marcelo Flores is training with Arsenal’s first team numerous times a week, the player’s father has told Radio Formula, translated by Marca.

Clearly, confidence is not an issue for this 17-year-old Mexican.

In a video floated on Twitter in September, Flores can be seen executing a sublime chip into the net during a training session, offering a tantalising glimpse into the vast potential that has many at London Colney believing the Canada-born wonder-kid could follow in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka sooner rather than later.

Flores signed his first professional contract a week ago.

With Mikel Arteta keeping a close eye on his progress, don’t be surprised to see this scheming little creator appear in a Europa League clash or for the final few minutes of a Premier League fixture in the weeks to come.

After all, he is already pitting his wits against established senior stars on a weekly basis behind the scenes.

“(He) will continue to play with the under-18s but he already trains in the first team a couple of times a week when they need him,” Flores’s father explains.

“For the players who they see a little more future for and want them to be in the team, they give them a little more patience, (more opportunities to) stay at the club.”

Signed from Ipswich Town on a free transfer in 2019, Flores is a player who appears to have Arsenal DNA flowing through his veins.

With Arteta determined to bring back the kind of dominant possession football reminiscent of Arsene Wenger’s early glory days, while making homegrown youngsters the backbone of his new-look side, Flores and Arsenal look like a match made in heaven.