He is not allowed in our dressing room — Arteta opens up on 17-year-old star

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared an interesting insight into the daily life of 17-year-old sensation Ethan Nwaneri.

Despite enjoying a breakout season with starts in the Premier League and Champions League, Nwaneri is not allowed to prepare for matches in the senior dressing room due to safeguarding rules.

These rules stipulate that players must be 18 or older to share a dressing room with the senior squad.

As a result, Nwaneri must get changed elsewhere before joining his colleagues for the final team talk.

Arteta highlighted the unique bond between Nwaneri and teammate Lewis-Skelly, emphasizing the importance of their relationship.

“When you see those two walking next to each other, talking to each other, there is a bond there and a chemistry there,” Arteta said.

“I imagine for them it is special because at the moment they are still in different dressing rooms [at the training ground]. Ethan cannot be in our dressing room still, which is unbelievable.

“He needs to get dressed somewhere else, even on match day.”

Nwaneri has scored 7 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season and continues to improve on a game-by-game basis.