Arsenal’s Tyreece John-Jules could potentially get the nod ahead of Eddie Nketiah tomorrow.
Arsenal host Leeds United in a third-round FA Cup clash at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
Eddie Nketiah is back with the Gunners after being recalled from Marcelo Bielsa’s side and ironically his first game could come against the Championship leaders.
But instead, could Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta start never-seen-before striker Tyreece John-Jules?
The 18-year-old striker was promoted to first-team training by Freddie Ljungberg after taking over from Unai Emery on a caretaker basis in November.
But John-Jules is yet to make his senior debut for the North Londoners despite brushing shoulders with the club’s heavy hitters in training every day.
Despite Arteta’s appointment, John-Jules remains in the picture and the teenage marksman was named in a Premier League squad for the first time in last week’s defeat by Chelsea.
He didn’t get off the bench, but it’s clear that Arteta, like Ljungberg, is a fan of the youngster and if the Spanish boss plays fringe players tomorrow then it’s definitely possible that one of them is John-Jules.
Nketiah is undeniably the more experienced player, despite being only 20, but Arsenal might want to loan him back out straight away and picking up an injury against his old loan club on Monday night might jeopardise that.
Of course, Arteta also has the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but he can’t afford to risk them either while there’s still a chance – an admittedly slim one – of finishing in the top four.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
