Arsenal: There is still a big Eddie Nketiah step

Eddie Nketiah has scored three times already this pre-season, including twice in Saturday’s win over Fiorentina. However, there is still a big step the young Arsenal centre-forward must take.

Seeing young players explode into the first team and take their opportunity to grasp the limelight is one of the joys of the pre-season. Predominantly, watching a series of impassionate and uncompetitive friendly matches that are ruined by slews of substitutions and players finding their feet and fitness is not the most of riveting things to do.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Season Review

But if there is one element that makes watching pre-season friendlies worthwhile, it is seeing young kids handed senior chances and take them with both hands. And this summer, no one at Arsenal has made more of their opportunities than Eddie Nketiah.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

The 20-year-old was the best player on the pitch in the first half against the Colorado Rapids. He then skinned Nicolas Sule, sat Joshua Kimmich down and scored the winner in an eight-minute cameo against Bayern Munich, before leading the line against Fiorentina on Saturday night, scoring twice. And his shining performances have caught the eye of head coach Unai Emery, who said in his post-match press conference:

"“I’m really happy. Last season in small moments when we could give him chances to be on the pitch, he did very well. I can confirm his progress and we want this progress with every player. Each player has the opportunity to show this capacity and above all first is a very good attitude. After this is that the young players need experience and they need to take minutes and to have confidence playing with us. The young energy is very important, especially Eddie Nketiah, he is playing and progressing very well.”"

However, for all of the brilliant moments that Nketiah has delivered this summer, there is still one major step that he has to make if he is to realise in his unquestionable inexorable potential: force his way into the regular-season team.

You see, making starts and substitute appearances in pre-season friendlies when Emery has no pressure to win and there is an active encouragement to bleed youngsters into the team is all well and good, but can Nketiah prove to Emery that he is worthy of regular starts in real matches? And by a real match I do not mean a Europa League group-stage match or early-round League Cup tie. I am talking about Premier League matches, knockout games in Europe, FA Cup matches.

There have been plenty of teenagers to rip up pre-season and youth-level football only to never make the transition to the competitive senior game. By 20 years old, the real top players are already playing regularly. Wayne Rooney, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas. And Nketiah is yet to make that step.

So yes, be excited about his performances this summer. And yes, be hopeful and even expectant for what is to come in the future. But there is still a massive step that Nketiah has to take.