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Mikel Arteta has said that Eddie Nketiah is constantly improving after the 23-year-old striker netted twice to help Arsenal progress through to the FA Cup fourth round last night.
Nketiah has been trusted into the limelight after £45m man, Gabriel Jesus, picked up a long-term injury at the 2022 World Cup. With Arsenal yet to buy a new striker in the January transfer window, Arteta is trusting Nketiah to score the goals that they hope will fire them to glory in May.
While many speculated that Arsenal’s form would dip without their Brazilian star, Nketiah has done excellently ever since football resumed after the World Cup. His two goals against Oxford United last night mean he has now netted five times in his last six appearances for the Gunners.
The victory for Arsenal means they now have a fourth-round tie with Manchester City to look forward to at the end of the month. The winners of that game will surely become the favourites to lift the FA Cup trophy at the start of June, with Arsenal looking to win their 15th FA Cup.
A great finisher
Speaking after the victory on Monday night, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised Nketiah labelling him a “great finisher”. He added:
“He showed great composure. He’s a great finisher, with the timing of his runs as well. He showed his quality and his work rate is getting better and better. I’m really happy with him.
We only have one striker and to go many months before Gaby is back it’s not easy, but we have to get the most of the players that we have at the moment.”
Arteta’s praise is likely to go down well with Nketiah, who has had to battle for first-team chances at Arsenal throughout his young career. He has made 74 league appearances for Arsenal since 2017 after coming through the academy. This works out at an average of around ten appearances a season.
In the 2019/20 season, he joined Leeds United on loan in the Championship and played a part in their promotion campaign. However, the loan spell didn’t go particularly well with Nketiah only managing three league goals in 17 appearances for the Whites.
The 23-year-old, who is England’s u21s record goalscorer, will be hoping that in the coming months, he can establish himself as an Arsenal regular and properly kick-start his senior career.
Saka injury update
During the clash with Oxford United, Buyako Saka went off with what looked like an injury. After the game, Arteta confirmed that he had no concerns over the winger’s fitness and availability for their next game, stating that he is “fine”.
If Saka’s niggle doesn’t turn out to be something slightly more serious, then Arteta will be looking to lean on Fábio Vieira for attacking flair in the final third. The summer signing has failed to make much of an impact so far this season but impressed on Monday night. Arteta said:
“He has the quality. He is a really creative player and he can decide games in the final third. He made a difference.”
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