Jack Wilshere names Arsenal's FOUR biggest academy stars

Stuart Telford

1 Mar 2023 10:00 CST
3 min read

Where next for Jack Wilshere? — © ProShots

Jack Wilshere has picked out four young stars at Arsenal who boast talent "you can't coach."

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Wilshere knows a thing or two about academy talents at Arsenal having been the first team's youngest league debutant back in 2008 at the tender age of 16 years, eight months and 13 days.

Wilshere - who went on to make 197 academy appearances with Arsenal winning two FA Cups along the way - hung up his boots last July after winding down his career with Aarhus in Denmark, and is now head coach of the Gunners' under-18s.

READ: How Arsenal will line up with Arteta's two summer transfer priorities

He recently guided the side into the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup at Cambridge United's expense, before picking out four of his players for special praise in an interview with the Athletic.

Grealish's Fabulous Four

"There are some things that you see from Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Bradley Ibrahim, Jimi Gower - they do things you can't coach," he said.

"That's why they're at Arsenal. They need a few things tactically. I like my midfielders to be on the half-turn, play forward and touch forward, dribble if you can."

Ethan Nwaneri on the Arsenal bench at 15 👶

What were you doing at 15? pic.twitter.com/dpyeX1mP3C
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 18, 2022

READ: Who is Ethan Nwaneri? Arsenal's 15-year-old midfield prodigy

Of the four, Nwaneri is now the youngest player ever to have turned out for Arsenal's seniors - and indeed the youngest debutant Premier League-wide - having featured against Brentford in September at 15 years, five months and 29 days.

Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League on 57 points, two clear of champions Manchester City having played a game less.

Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah are the academy stars shining brightest under Mikel Arteta this term, and Emil Smith Rowe would fancy himself to be in the same company had injury not derailed his season.

Wilshere thinks his young players are in safe hands when they make the step up, telling TalkSPORT in November that: "I've never seen first-team training at the level it is now."