Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah is good enough to replace Welbeck – he’s like Ian Wright and is full of confidence
England star's serious ankle injury has opened the door for the 19-year-old at the Emirates
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IT feels harsh to already be talking about life after Danny Welbeck.
The England forward fell brutally on his ankle against Sporting Lisbon last Thursday, causing his immediate removal from the game.
Arsenal's leadership team of Unai Emery, Raul Sanhelli and Sven Mislintat have been trying to unpick the mess Arsene Wenger left them.
They've shipped out a lot of dead wood, they've reworked the spine of the squad and ramped up the wage bill.
We've already seen the club yank the Aaron Ramsey mega-deal from the table, with the manager and the sporting director now insisting January purchases are not on the cards.
That has opened the door for Eddie Nketiah.
The player was released by Chelsea at Under-14 level, but has clawed his way back up the ranks impressing at every level with Arsenal.
In 2016-17, he bagged 16 goals in 17 games, whilst also scoring 12 goals in 26 games for the Under-23 team.
He made his debut under Wenger last season against BATE Borisov, but he really announced himself in the League Cup against Norwich.
Nketiah scored after 15 seconds to draw level, then finished them off in injury time with a late goal.
The player has an air of confidence about him not often seen in young players.
Nketiah looks like he believes that he belongs.
He is very fast, he's skillful, but most importantly, he knows how to sniff out goals, and like Ian Wright, he looks like he loves that part of the game.
Welbeck has been with Arsenal for 5 seasons, he's averaged 26 games a year, 6.6 goals a season with an equally miserable assist tally.
The bar is set pretty low.
It's always hit and miss with young players, but if he can keep his head down, not get overawed by the situation, anything is possible.
The fact he's being given a chance by a manager who worked with Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani should give him the confidence to believe.
As a fan, I do believe, my rose-tinted glasses are on, and I'm waiting for a new hero to cheer for.
If it doesn't work out, at least we have a group of football people running the show who will make the decision on him early.
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