'He's a fantastic player': Ian Wright says Arsenal have a brilliant 18-year-old right-back coming through

Ian Wright has been raving about young Arsenal defender Michal Rosiak after his performance in the UEFA Youth League against Sevilla.

Speaking on the Wrighty’s House Podcast, the Arsenal legend was in attendance as Mehmet Ali’s side fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat.

As Arsenal have returned to the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17, it means their youth team has returned to the equivalent competition as well.

They also face Sevilla, Lens and PSV Eindhoven but so far, their campaign hasn’t gone to plan.

Arsenal’s young guns have lost each of their first three matches by a single goal, making qualification for the next round incredibly difficult.

However, some players have already stood out on the European stage.

Ian Wright admitted that Michal Rosiak looked ‘fantastic’ against Sevilla for Arsenal, playing on the right-hand side.

He also singled out Myles Lewis-Skelly and has claimed the 17-year-old should be knocking on the door of the first team right now.

These young players will take a lot of heart from being recognised by a Gunners legend like Wright.

Wright praises Arsenal youngster Rosiak

Reflecting on their UEFA Youth League defeat, Wright said: “There’s another one, Michal Rosiak, he played kind of like right-back, inverting to the right-half or midfield.

“Again, you just want to see more of him, because he’s a fantastic player.”

Rosiak is a very exciting young prospect who gained plenty of attention towards the end of last season.

An inverting right-back who can also play in midfield, Bukayo Saka lauded the 18-year-old after he scored a wonderful free kick in the FA Youth Cup earlier this year.

He signed his first professional contract at the end of April and will be hoping he can add to the two Premier League 2 appearances he’s made this season.

The right-back position at Arsenal is hotly contested both at senior level and in the academy.

Reuell Walters has been knocking on the door of an Arsenal debut for some time while Brooke Norton-Cuffy is currently on loan in the Championship.Wright has hailed Rosiak though and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is likely already aware of his abilities.

It’s unlikely the Gunners qualify for the next round of the UEFA Youth League at this point.

However, they’ve still got three more opportunities to impress on the continental stage.