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Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand compared Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri to Manchester City star Phil Foden.
Nwaneri engraved his name in the Premier League history books on Sunday by becoming the youngest player in the history of the league.
The youngster came on from the bench to replace Fabio Vieira at just 15 years and 180 days of age in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Brentford.
The record was formerly held by now-Liverpool player Harvey Elliott, who was 16-years-and-30 days old when he made his debut for Fulham.
Ferdinand hailed the Arsenal youngster for his immense potential and compared him to Foden.
Foden came through the youth ranks of Manchester City and has become a key player for both club and country.
Ferdinand claimed that Nwaneri could achieve similar levels to Foden if he gets the right guidance. The former England defender said this on his YouTube channel "Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE:"
"There’s no doubting this kid’s ability. I’ve heard from coaches that are at the club. And from various different people in the game at that level. That there aren’t many 15-year-olds in the last 10 or so years that have got the ability that this guy’s shown on a consistent basis.
"We are talking the Foden's of this world. At 15, he’s at a similar level they’re talking."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been subject to criticism for his decision to hand a debut to the wonderkid
Mikel Arteta has been criticized by a number of pundits for handing a debut to Ethan Nwaneri at such a young age.
As reported by The Mirror, Danny Murphy, Jason Cundy and Danny Mills have all slammed the Arsenal manager for the decision.
Danny Murphy told talkSPORT:
"I am not convinced it is the best move for a young player. I am really not. I have seen superstars come on the scene at a young age and thrive and go on and carry on. But there has also been a lot who have fallen by the wayside.
"He is obviously a super talent, doing well in training and impressing everybody. But surely they have got other 18, 19 and 20-year-olds who are further ahead in their development who could have gone on the bench. I think he is probably trying to keep a young superstar happy."
According to Metro, Arsenal fast-tracked their decision to push Ethan Nwaneri into the first-team to deter interest from Manchester United and Liverpool.
We will have to wait and see how Nwaneri develops but he will certainly have to deal with increased pressure now.
