Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has called up three teenage academy prospects for the first-leg of the Gunners' pre-season tour.
Last season's runners-up are currently out in Germany gearing up for a pre-season friendly against FC Nuremberg, where all three of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Reuell Walters could feature. Nwaneri is known to fans after he became the youngest player in Premier League history last term when he made a cameo appearance against Brentford at just 15 years and 181 days.
Once the German leg of the tour is complete, Arteta's troops fly out to the USA where three considerably more high-profile opponents await them in the form of the MLS All-Stars, Premier League rivals Manchester United and Spanish titans FC Barcelona.
It is likely that the last fixture of Arsenal's pre-season schedule comes against Monaco on August 2 at the Emirates, 10 days before they return to their stomping ground to get their league campaign underway against Nottingham Forest.
Between those two ties however, is the small matter of another meeting with their conquerors from last season in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. The two face off under the iconic Wembley arch on Sunday, August 6. Whether Arteta deems that the right time to give any of the young trio of teens any senior minutes remains to be seen.
Nwaneri would be the most likely given he has already tasted life as an Arsenal first-team player, who recently put pen to paper on a scholarship but cannot sign a professional contract until he turns 17 in March. The teen sensation was the subject of huge praise from Granit Xhaka after his senior bow.
"He looks old when I see him, but the club can be proud of a player like him. He has a big future. I am doing my coaching licence and I have trained the under-16s," the recently-departed midfielder explained last year.
"You can see a big difference with him and the other guys. He is very, very special. You have to protect him as he is very young but if he keeps going like this with his hard work he has a big, big future."
16-year-old defensive midfielder Lewis-Skelly has starred for both the U21 and U18 sides on many occasion while right-back Walters, 18, was part of Arsenal's pre-season tour squad last summer and had been named as a subsitute for the first-team several times last term.
For all of the excitement surrounding the trio, Arsenal are about to announce the arrivals of expensive additions Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, who occupy the same positions as the academy talents, which could in turn scupper their development at the Emirates.
