Ethan Nwaneri’s schoolteacher couldn’t believe how down to earth Arsenal starlet was hours after breaking Premier League record
Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri became the Premier League’s youngest player aged 15 years and 181 days when he made his debut against Brentford in September 2022.
He came off the bench to replace Fabio Vieira in the 92nd minute of the 3-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium, and Elle Bewley, his GCSE English teacher at St John’s Senior School in Enfield, has revealed how the teenager reacted the next day at school.
“It was a surprise. The head of English messaged me to say Ethan is on telly and just made his debut,” she told the Sun.
“I am quite ignorant when it comes to football but my husband was really impressed!
“I’m not joking, he just walked into school on the Monday, gave me his homework, sat down and got on with it. No discussion, no distraction. Nothing.”
The Arsenal academy graduate has since finished school and is looking to break into manager Mikel Arteta’s first-team permanently.
He wrote some of his GCSEs in Hungary while on duty with the England under-17s at the Under-17 Euros back in the summer, taking one mathematics test the morning after a game.
Nwaneri has since signed scholarship terms with Arsenal after his schoolboy registration ran out in June, putting pen to paper on a two-year scholarship deal.
The likes of Chelsea and Manchester City were keen to lure the England youth international away from the North London club, but he is set to sign a professional contract with Arsenal when he turns 17 in March 2024.
Nwaneri has been a regular for the Gunners under-21s this term, bagging a hat-trick against Leicester City in August, and is currently away on international duty at the under-17 World Cup.
He will be hoping to feature for the senior team this term after playing for 30 minutes in the pre-season friendly against Nurnberg in Germany in July.
He showed huge dedication in school and is doing the same on the training ground, and it would not be surprising if Nwaneri ends up establishing himself as a key player at senior level for both club and country in the near future.
