Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri will be "absolutely devastated" by the muscular injury he suffered in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, but the experience will be a "learning curve" for the 17-year-old, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts.
Nwaneri became the first player in Arsenal's history to score more than one Premier League goal before his 18th birthday at the Amex Stadium - and just the sixth from any club - but he was then taken off at half time after picking up a yellow card for time-wasting.
The consensus at the time was that Nwaneri was taken off to avoid another possible red card in the second period, but Arteta confirmed at full time that he had damaged a muscle and will be absent for a few weeks.
Nwaneri could miss as many as 10 matches due to the problem, including imminent meetings with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, as well as both legs of the EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle United.
"It's a big setback for him," Watts told Sports Mole. "Mikel said in his press conference it's a bit of a learning curve for him and it is. When you're forced to play these 17-year-olds, it's an awful lot in their body, isn't it?
"His body's still growing. And then he starts two games in a row and picks up an injury. So you can understand why Arteta has been trying to manage him pretty carefully. But it is a big blow to him, no doubt about it. He'll be absolutely gutted. Mikel said he was gutted.
"There's a North London Derby coming up, he had a chance of potentially starting, which would have been a huge moment for a 17-year-old boy having come through the academy. He's going to have to sit there and watch that now. He's going to be absolutely devastated at this injury."
Should Arsenal enter the transfer market to replace Nwaneri?
Nwaneri's injury further deprives Arteta of options on the wing while Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Raheem Sterling (knee) are also absent, and the Gunners are now without any recognised options on that side of the attack.
Gabriel Martinelli is expected to fill in for the absent Nwaneri and Saka for the time being, and Watts has implored the Gunners to consider their options in the January transfer window, as Arteta's squad is "stretched to the limit" in the final third right now.
"They've basically got Martinelli, Trossard and Havertz and Jesus now, and that's it," Watts added. "Even when Sterling does come back, he's not really shown us anything to suggest he's going to make a massive impact on the team. Mikel Arteta's squad is stretched to the limits when it comes to the attackers.
"We're in January. You can go out and try to solve it. With my Arsenal hat on, I absolutely think they should, because I'm just not sure they've got enough to get them through this second half of the season. It's very, very important they get into the market and find themselves something that's going to help them, not just now, but for the future."
Aside from Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz is a potential candidate to fill in on the right wing, having done so on a handful of occasions during his time at Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea.
The Germany international has predominantly excelled as a centre-forward in North London, but prior to the 1-0 win over Ipswich Town in December, Arteta name-checked him when discussing players who could fill in for Saka.
Watts: 'Havertz out wide does not fill me with joy'
© Imago
"Gabby has played there, Ethan has played there, Leo can play there in relation to how that unit moves. Kai can play there, asking him different things," Arteta told the press, but Watts believes that fielding the German out wide would be a step too far.
"The thought of Kai Havertz on the right wing does not fill me with much joy," Watts added. "I love Kai Havertz. I think he's been brilliant since the move to move him up front for Arsenal, but I don't really see him as a right-winger for me.
"If you're looking at the options that Arsenal still have available, obviously Gabriel Martinelli, I do like Gabriel Jesus over on the right-hand side. He played there a lot for Manchester City. He's played there for Arsenal. He can do it and he can do it well.
"Once Havertz gets himself 100% fit, maybe you can do that and you can rotate in that way. You can have Havertz as a striker and that can allow you to rest Martinelli or leave someone on the bench, because at the moment, Arsenal basically have got everyone starting and there's very little left on the bench for them.
"It would be very nice to have a couple of options that you could leave on on the bench. But yeah, Havertz on the right, not for me. I think left eight, he can play that role. You know, right eight, he can play that role. But yeah, right wing, I think that's just a step too far for me."
Havertz is pushing to return from illness for Tuesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg at home to Newcastle United, and Watts also explained why he feels a red card is inevitable over the course of the two clashes with the Magpies.
Ben Knapton
