Arsenal U-23 star Salah Oulad M’Hand could be set to make his professional debut for the club tonight against Nottingham Forest.
According to the Athletic, the 18-year-old midfielder has travelled with the Gunners for their third-round FA Cup clash against the Championship side.
As per the report, Arsenal already have a plan in place to let Oulad M’Hand make his debut for the seniors if Mikel Arteta’s side if the scoreline makes it comfortable for the Dutch youngster to step onto the pitch.
Oulad M’Hand could be the second U-23 player to make their first-team debut this season. Charlie Patino, who has also travelled to Forest, made his first appearance for Arsenal in the League Cup in December, with the teenager bagging a goal in a 5-1 win against Sunderland.
Indeed, Arsenal could see numerous Hale End academy graduates feature against Forest. As well as Oulad M’Hand and Patino, Mika Biereth and Omari Hutchinson have also travelled to Nottingham as reported by Football London.
Yet it is Oulad M’Hand who seems the most likely to make their debut for Arsenal against Forest. The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the top talents at the club, with talent spotter Yousuf Sajjad labelling the midfielder as a player with ‘something special about him’ via Football London.
Arsenal should only allow debuts if they are cruising against Forest
It might seem easy to suggest that Arsenal are in for an easy match given Forest’s status as a Championship club. Yet supporters have already learnt in recent years not to be so over-confident in matches like this.
After all, Forest demolished Arsenal 4-2 in what was to be Arsene Wenger’s final FA Cup match. And whilst the Gunners are the favourites tonight, Arteta has to ensure that progression to the next round comes first before giving the likes of Oulad M’Hand their debut.
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