Mikel Arteta gave Ethan Nwaneri his second Premier League appearance in Arsenal's 6-0 victory away at West Ham.
The 16-year-old came on in the 77th minute and left a positive impression, drawing fouls and participating well in the build-up phase.
Speaking after the game, Arteta joked that it was the bench that forced him to bring on the young midfielder.
The boss said, as quoted by the Evening Standard: “There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates.
“I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering ‘bring Ethan in!’, which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your team-mates to give you the ball all the time.
“If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it’s a great sign.”
