Arsenal have been hit with another injury blow after Mikel Arteta confirmed that Ethan Nwaneri will be out for a ‘few weeks’
Arsenal have been hit with another injury setback as 17-year-old academy graduate Ethan Nwaneri has been ruled out for “a few weeks” due to a muscular injury.
Nwaneri, who scored his second Premier League goal of the season in the opening half against Brighton on Saturday, was substituted at halftime. His early strike gave Arsenal the lead, but it was later cancelled out by a controversial penalty from Brighton’s Joao Pedro.
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The penalty came after Pedro headed the ball into the penalty area, and Arsenal defender William Saliba’s mistimed challenge caught Pedro in the face with his forehead.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash against Newcastle United, Mikel Arteta addressed Nwaneri’s injury: “Unfortunately, he’s picked up an injury and he’s going to be out for a few weeks. Muscular injury.”
Despite the setback, Nwaneri’s season has been a remarkable one. His goal against Brighton made history, as he became only the sixth player to score multiple Premier League goals before the age of 18. The goal marked his second career Premier League goal, following his earlier goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in November. The goal also made him the first Arsenal player to score more than once in the Premier League before turning 18.
At just 17 years and 290 days old, Nwaneri’s performance marked only his second Premier League start. His achievement places him alongside legendary talents such as Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Danny Cadamarteri, James Milner, and Federico Macheda, who also scored multiple Premier League goals before their 18th birthdays. Rooney and Owen remain the only players to have scored more than Nwaneri at that age.
Nwaneri’s goal against Brighton was his fifth of the season across all competitions, having also scored three goals in the EFL Cup. This milestone makes him just the third player in history to score five or more goals in a single season before turning 18, joining Owen (1997/98) and Rooney (2002/03) in this exclusive club.
In addition to Nwaneri’s injury, Arsenal were also without Kai Havertz at Brighton due to illness. Havertz had also missed the New Year’s Day victory over Brentford, with Martin Ødegaard only fit for the bench at Brighton, also affected by the illness sweeping through the Gunners’ camp.
Arteta expressed hope that Havertz would be available soon: “I hope so but I don’t want to say yes because last time I said I thought he was going to be fit and he was not fit.”
