Arsenal: Unai Emery must listen to Freddie Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg has stated that Eddie Nketiah needs to play. Unai Emery would be wise to listen to the Arsenal academy manager.

There is nothing more important for a young player’s development that game time. Arsenal, especially under Arsene Wenger, are renowned for their work with young talent, and a lot of that is down to their willingness to bleed academy products and young prospects into the first team, particularly via the League and FA Cups.

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And this year, it is a pattern that has continued. Emile Smith Rowe started frequently in the Europa League prior to his January loan, Matteo Guendouzi has been a key part of the midfield at the age of just 19-year-old, and regular starters like Alex Iwobi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Lucas Torreira are all in their early-20s.

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But there is one player who needs more playing time between now and the end of the season if he is to continue his prodigious start to his career.

Eddie Nketiah is a special talent. His goalscoring record at the youth level is proof of that. But with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of him, he has found regular starts difficult to come by.

Under-23 manager Freddie Ljungberg has been keen to make Unai Emery aware of the situation. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Islington Gazette, Ljungberg claimed:

"“It’s important for Eddie to play games. As a striker, you can’t just train because you want to feel that feeling to get yourself in the right place at the right time to score. That’s why I think it was important for Eddie to play so he’s ready when he gets a chance in the first-team. He needs games, as a striker he always needs to be playing.”"

Ljungberg was initially talking about whether Nketiah will be ready to play against BATE Borisov on Thursday night should Emery call upon him. Ljungberg, obviously, said he was. But the part I find more interesting is his assertion that Nketiah needs to be handed game time if he is to continue his development.

It isn’t quite a direct challenge for Emery to meet, who Ljungberg admits is the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to the players that play in the first team, but it is certainly a clear assertion that Nketiah must be handed more opportunities if he is to fulfil his astounding striking potential.

And that claim is unavoidable. Nketiah does need to play. He will grow stale, especially in front of goal, as has been seen at times already this season, and he will not develop the nous and know-how that is required to be a top-tier goalscorer at the elite level.

Anticipation, understanding and positioning are such critical attributes for a goal-scorer. And they come through playing, learning repeated patterns of play, and slowly beginning to be able to predict where chances will fall. Nketiah is not being given that experience, and it is a problem. Emery might be wise to listen to Ljungberg.