Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has promoted four academy players of Nigerian descent to the first-team training squad ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Zacariah Shuaib, Ethan Nwaneri, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, and Brian Okonkwo were all present during Monday’s session at the Sobha Realty Training Centre in Shenley, just outside of London.
The young players, all eligible for selection in Europe’s elite competition, have been included on the Gunners’ UEFA Champions League B list. The B list allows clubs to name players born after January 1, 2003, who have spent at least two consecutive years at the club — or three years in the case of players loaned within the same football association.
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The players were assigned their respective squad numbers for the tournament; Mr Butler-Oyedeji will wear 37, Mr Nwaneri 53, while Mr Okonkwo 55, and Mr Shuaib will wear the number 80 . This development signals Arteta’s continued faith in the club’s academy and the bright future of its next generation.
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