Messi 2.0? Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri earns ultimate praise after Leicester showing

Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri has received the ultimate praise from Joe Cole after his exploits against Leicester City.

We are beginning to run out of superlatives for Ethan Nwaneri, and after his performance in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, we might have heard the best and most outlandish one yet.

With the teenager the best player on the pitch, especially in the first half as the rest of his teammates looked like they were still on the bus, Nwaneri was direct and produced several winding runs that put the Leicester defense on its heels, not to mention his two efforts that cannoned off the crossbar.

He got some reward in the second half. He delightfully lofted a ball into the box, which found Mikel Merino and the Spaniard headed home to give the Gunners the lead.

With Nwaneri providing energy and pace to the Gunners frontline, which was playing without a recognized striker for the first time, the teenager was a shining light in the win, and that has led to praise once again for his performance.

But what Joe Cole said about Ethan post-game on TNT Sports is something that many wouldn't have expected.

“He’s a strong little thing,” Cole said. “You can’t mark him because he can go both ways, these touches he produces in and around the box, these little tiny touches, I don’t even want to say it but it’s like [Lionel] Messi. I’ve said it, I don’t want to put any more pressure on the kids shoulders, but the touches he makes as he receives the ball, he plays with such confidence, he’s just a beautiful player.”

A bit like Messi? Now, Cole made sure to downplay what he said, but the way in which Nwaneri played so close to the defenders and had the ball in a string was eerily similar to Messi, and what's more, he is making a habit of producing with his final ball.

The cross to find Merino was pinpoint and he essentially placed the ball onto the Spaniard's forehead and asked it to be headed home.

Ethan has gone from strength to strength since bursting onto the scene, but Mikel Arteta must be wary of burnout for the 17-year-old, and it will be interesting to see how Arteta uses him once Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka return.

But for now, the football world is Nwaneri's oyster.

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