Alex Iwobi: Arsene Wenger says Arsenal youngster can be new Gunners playmaker
French boss expects 20-year-old play more centrally - and add goals to his game
ARSENE WENGER believes Alex Iwobi can be Arsenal’s new playmaker.
The youngster impressed in a central role in the Gunners’ 2-0 League Cup win over Reading.
And Arsenal boss Wenger said: "Yes, he can play in a central role. You see that he is not a typical winger. I think he can play in that role.
"He turns the game forward, he passes the ball through the lines very well, he has a final ball in him."
But the Frenchman wants Iwobi to improve to add goals to his game.
He continued: "I think he has all in the locker to pass and give the final ball - what you want from him now is the finishing, and that's still a little part that is missing in his game.
"He is too nervous at the moment when he has the possibility to finish."
Meanwhile Carl Jenkinson was delighted to be back for Arsenal after his first appearance for the Gunners in nearly two-and-a-half years.
The full-back spent two seasons on loan at West Ham but suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the year and was out for nine months.
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He said: "It was brilliant. It has been a long time, I was told it had been 898 days since my last appearance, Jesus, that is a long time coming especially with my injury and stuff so it was great to be back out there.
"I was more excited than anything, not really nervous at all, I was just excited to be playing again and to do so for Arsenal was the icing on top of the cake."
Jenko continued: "Arsenal is my club.
"I went out on loan for a couple of years but always in my mind I thought I wanted to perform so I can come back here, I wanted to be good enough and I still want to be good enough to play here."
Jenkinson faces an uphill struggle to dislodge Spanish star Hector Bellerin for the right-back slot in Wenger’s team.
He said: "I have just got to keep grafting away, stay fit and play as much as I can and when I get opportunities I have got to take them and who knows, so fingers crossed.
"Hector has been fantastic so far and he rightly deserves to be playing regularly, he has been brilliant so it is up to me when I get chances to play as well as I can and push him as well as I can."