Zinchenko was speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel and was asked which talent coming through at London Colney appears to have the highest ceiling.
Reuell Walters is yet to make his senior Arsenal debut. But it is surely not too far around the corner. The 18-year-old is a regular fixture in the under-21 side and has captained the team.
Walters can play at right-back or centre-back. So he offers the versatility that Mikel Arteta will particularly appreciate. And it seems that he has certainly caught the eye of the senior players at the Emirates with his development.
Zinchenko lauds Arsenal starlet Walters
Oleksandr Zinchenko was asked which academy youngster has the most potential. And he suggested that Walters was the stand out.
“I like so much the centre-back, Reuell,” he told Ferdinand’s YouTube channel. “The quality he has, he’s aggressive.
“I swear to god, once he pushed Gabriel Jesus shoulder to shoulder, it’s not easy to push Gabi, yeah. He was confident on the ball after. He kept the ball well. Wow, he impressed me the most.”
It is going to be a tough task for Walters to break into the side. Arsenal boast so much depth at the heart of their defence – to the point where Gabriel Magalhaes is yet to start a Premier League game so far this season.
But his ability to play at right-back or centre-back will help Walters. The likes of Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu perform similar roles for Arteta’s side.The challenge for someone like Walters is that Arsenal have improved so much over the last couple of years. Obviously, Bukayo Saka is a world-class talent. So he was always going to end up in the team.
But his task was made easier by the fact that he was coming through at a time when Arsenal were in turmoil.
The likes of Charlie Patino and Folarin Balogun have suffered because of the progress Arsenal have made. And it is going to get more and more challenging for those knocking on the door.
But clearly, Zinchenko believes that Walters has a very bright future ahead of him.
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