Everton winger Andros Townsend has defended the ‘very smart’ Mikel Arteta for handing 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri his Premier League debut for Arsenal on Sunday, as he told talkSPORT.
Arsenal were beating Brentford 3-0, when in stoppage-time, Nwaneri created history by becoming the youngest ever player during the Premier League era.
When the attacking midfielder stepped foot onto the Brentford turf, he was 15 years and 181 days old and now it’s a moment the youngster will never forget.
But, for some odd reason, that call drew criticism from parts of the media, including from talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy, who thinks it was the wrong thing to do.
Arsenal fans weren’t happy with Murphy’s comments and they made their feelings clear towards the former Tottenham midfielder.
Well, Townsend, who made his debut at the age of 17, on the other side of north London, defended Arteta for his record-breaking and bold decision.
“I was 17 when I made my debut,” said Townsend. “I understand a lot of Danny Murphy’s points. I think nowadays, with social media and what have you, then it can be easy to get carried away and get caught up in a life you aren’t ready for.
“But Mikel Arteta the manager isn’t silly. He’s very smart. He knows what he is doing. He is calculated. He wouldn’t have thrown that youngster on just because they were winning and he wanted to give him his debut.
“He would have analysed his character. Is he ready? Can he handle it mentality? Does he have the right family around him? Does he have the right support?
“So, I feel like in this case, you have to trust Mikel Arteta and his decision to give this kid his debut at 15. And trust he can handle it, then the club will support him, nurture him and they will give him more chances on the back of it. So, on this occasion, I have to agree with Mikel Arteta that it was the right thing to do.”
NWANERI’S CRITICISM IS RIDICULOUS
Imagine being handed your Premier League debut at 15 and some of the first things you read on social media are old men being negative about it all.
It’s pretty pathetic, to be honest, because the bigger picture needs to be looked at.
Arteta is giving Nwaneri a chance, not because he won it in a raffle, but because he has earned it for his hard work away from the first-team and then the impression he made when he trained with the senior side.
Plus, it also needs to be noted that this will send a message to the rest of the youngsters that, if they knuckle down, work hard and impress, then that door is open for them, so perhaps Murphy should stop being miserable.
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