Arsenal fans won’t be surprised by those contributions, having watched them over the course of this season, and between them they have made 40 first team appearances (Nwaneri 22, Lewis-Skelly 20) since August.
There was always an expectation both of these young men would push for first team inclusion, but they are ahead of schedule, in part because of how injuries have opened the door for them to play – and how they have grasped those opportunities with both hands.
Asked before tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle if it’s been beneficial for them to make their breakthrough at the same time, Mikel Arteta outlined the closeness of their relationship.
“I think a lot,” he said. “When you see those two just walking next to each other, talking to each other, there’s something, there’s a bond there, there’s a chemistry that is [special].
“Especially because at the moment they’re still in different dressing rooms. So Ethan cannot be in our dressing room still, which is unbelievable. He needs to get dressed somewhere else, even on match day.
“So to have somebody close to him that has that trust, that confidence, that link, I think it’s lucky.
“They are very lucky to have each other, I think.”
Not only that, the team and the senior players are lucky to have two outstanding young talents to bolster the ranks in a season when injuries have hit hard, and Arteta believes the two have already won the trust of their more senior colleagues.
“What I’ve always said is how they feel about these young players when they come in,” said the Arsenal boss.
“Do they trust them? Do they feel like they’re stronger with them? And that’s the feeling that I get when we give them that opportunity.
“For me, they are ready in our eyes, but in the team’s feeling as well, they feel that they can be better with them.”
Let’s hope they can help us later tonight as we try to overturn that two goal deficit against Newcastle.
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