Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he would not be afraid to start Ethan Nwaneri or Myles Lewis-Skelly in Sunday’s blockbuster showdown with Liverpool.
The Gunners have been hit by an injury crisis ahead of the game, with Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu all definitely missing.
Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are doubts, while William Saliba is suspended after being sent off at Bournemouth last week.
It has opened the door for academy stars Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, and Arteta would not be scared to throw them in from the off against title rivals Liverpool.
“Well, we did it (brought on Lewis-Skelly) in a Champions League game (against Shakhtar Donetsk) the other day,” said Arteta.
“They are there, they are in contention. They always give us the option and the possibility to start the game.
“Myles came on the other night and he did really well, Ethan the same. They are first-team players. They are with us and we treat them and value them the same way as any other player.”
Lewis-Skelly is the most likely of the two to start against Liverpool, as Arsenal have been hit by a crisis at left-back.
Calafiori, Timber and Tomiyasu could all be out and it means one of Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko or Lewis-Skelly will be called upon.
Lewis-Skelly is only 18, and yet to start a Premier League game in his career, but came off the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar on Tuesday.
Asked if Liverpool could be a good game for young players as they have no fear, Arteta said: “Yes, for sure. That is something that they don’t feel much, especially those two, and that is something really positive.
“It brings the crowd together as well. It creates energy in the team, that’s something really good. It is about throwing them in the best moment with the right players around them, which is something really important as well.”
Arsenal are currently four points off Premier League leaders Liverpool going into Sunday’s game, but Arteta does not want his side to feel sorry for themselves given their injury issues.
“This is the game,” he said. “Obviously we didn’t want to be in that situation, but we are really lucky as well to have the squad that we have, to have the players that we have, to have the attitude that we have.
“When it comes down to reacting against a difficult situation, we don’t feel sorry for ourselves. Face it. We are a team that we know how good we are as well and how difficult we can be for the opponents. And having that ruthless mentality is something that I love.
“After the defeat with 10 men at Bournemouth, we had to pick ourselves up. We did that really well in the first half (against Shakhtar) and we should have had a better result. We didn’t and at the end it left you the feeling that it should have been more.
“We had a day off to prepare for the match, which is more than we normally do. And it’s a big match. We are so excited, we love these matches at the Emirates. We know what our people are going to generate.”
