Arsenal manager Arteta lauds Eddie Nketiah despite Manchester City defeat

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Eddie Nketiah despite the Gunners losing heavily to Manchester City at Etihad on Wednesday.

Eddie was recalled by Arsenal when Mikel Arteta took over, having spent the first part of the 2019/20 season on loan at Leeds United.

The 19-year-old was handed his fifth start by former Everton legend against the Citizens and the Spaniard has been impressed with his young striker’s progress.

"I want him to keep doing what he’s doing,” Arteta said.

"The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age. He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area I think. I have a lot of faith in him."

He added, "The trick here is to get them with the right environment around them. Not to put too much pressure on them. We have a really young squad, a very inexperienced squad, and when you put that in certain parts of the pitch very close together, you can see that there are some deficits and the decision-making is not always the right thing to do."

"We are in a position that we have to accept that some things at the moment, in there, probably more than we would like, are going to be like that.

"That’s the circumstances that we have but at the same time it’s great because it’s a great value for them to have these experiences and see themselves playing against that type of opposition."