Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has never been one to shy away from giving minutes to the younger talents at the club, and Omari Hutchinson could become the next academy product to make his debut under the Spaniard.
Hutchinson, who only turned 18 in October, has been named on Arteta's bench on several occasions but has yet to make his first team bow.
That looks set to change, though, with the teenager called up to train with Arsenal's first-team squad and potentially in line to appear on the bench as the Gunners host Brentford in the Premier League.
Arteta has already handed plenty of game time to the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, as well as handing Charlie Patino a debut earlier this season, and there is plenty of excitement around Hutchinson as he prepares to make his bow.
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20-year-old forward Gabriel Martinelli is another to earn minutes under Arteta, but the Brazilian is suspended for Saturday's meeting with Brentford after picking up a red card in the win away to Wolves.
This appears to have opened the door for Hutchinson, with The Sun reporting that the youngster has been training with the first team ahead of a likely inclusion against the Bees.
Hutchinson has been on Arsenal's bench three times this season - against Burnley in the league, Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup and Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final - but that has yet to translate into time on the pitch.
However, a run-out against Thomas Frank's side is unlikely to faze the teenager, given his earlier run-in with Brazilian legend Pele.
The youngster - who grew up playing and watching futsal - met Pele at a tournament hosted by the World Cup winner in south London, and the chance meeting set the stage for a viral video with F2 Freestylers.
“We finished the tournament and all the teams came round in a huddle, and the F2 Freestylers came out and started showcasing their skills," Hutchinson told Goal in 2021.
“They asked one member from each team to come out and do a skill and all the boys were saying ‘go on Omari, go on!’
“So I went up there and did it. They gave me the ball and I just started doing my skills. When we got a picture with Pele afterwards, he said something like ‘that was amazing’ in his Brazilian accent.
“Then later on that night, Jeremy Lynch from the Freestylers called my mum and said he wanted to do a video with us.
“So I did the video and it just went viral from there.”
Hutchinson has five goals and five assists to his name in 13 Premier League 2 games this season, while he has also netted twice in four Papa John's Trophy outings.
One of the highlights came in November, when the Gunners trailed 3-0 to Leicester City's under-23s heading into stoppage time but came back to snatch a remarkable draw, with Hutchinson scoring one and setting up the other two.
He'll hope it's not too long until he has a chance to make a similar impact in the Premier League proper, and it looks like that opportunity could present itself this weekend.
