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Arteta Eases Injury Concerns Over Arsenal Star Ethan Nwaneri

By on February 25, 2025

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Mikel Arteta has downplayed concerns over Ethan Nwaneri’s fitness after the teenager limped off during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.

The 17-year-old, who recently returned from a three-week injury layoff in January, has been in exceptional form.

He delivered a man-of-the-match performance against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s led Leicester City at the King Power stadium two weeks ago and seemed poised for an extended first-team run, particularly in the absence of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

However, Nwaneri struggled to make an impact at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes suffered a major blow at the weekend.

His disappointing afternoon ended prematurely when he was forced off with seven minutes remaining, sparking concerns over a potential setback.

With Arsenal set to face Champions League hunting Nottingham Forest at the City Ground tomorrow night, Arteta remains hopeful that the youngster will be fit enough to feature.

Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Ethan Nwaneri

Addressing the media in his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided an update on Nwaneri’s condition, as well as the injuries to wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners manager acknowledged the youngster’s heavy workload in recent weeks but reassured fans that there is no cause for alarm with Nwaneri just suffering from cramp.

As for Saka and Martinelli, the two wingers are ‘progressing well’ but are still not close to making a comeback.

“Ethan was just cramping, obviously his load has been very different in recent weeks, but he’s fine. Bukayo and Gabi are progressing well but are still a bit far from coming back”, Arteta confirmed, easing fears of a lengthy absence for the Hale End graduate.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s title hopes now hang by a thread. The Gunners currently sit on 53 points with a game in hand, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 11 points.

While mathematically still in the race, overturning such a deficit against Arne Slot’s high-flying Reds would be an enormous challenge.

The Reds welcome Newcastle on the 26th of February at Anfield, and they know a win will further strengthen their position at the top of the league.

As Arsenal look to bounce back, Arteta will be hoping his squad can recover in time to keep their fading title ambitions alive.