“We are all behind you”, “It’s your turn” – Arsenal fans believe 23-year-old will shine after being named in line-up to face West Ham

Arsenal fans confident that 23-year-old attacker will perform well against West Ham United
Arsenal fans confident that 23-year-old attacker will perform well against West Ham United

Gabriel Jesus' injury meant that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would have to depend on Eddie Nketiah as his team's leading attacker until the Brazilian's return to action.

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The 23-year-old has been named in the starting XI as the Gunners return to action for the first time since the FIFA World Cup break to take on West Ham United in a Premier League home clash.

Aaron Ramsdale starts in goal for the north London-based side. Arteta has fielded a familiar central defensive duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Kieran Tierney and Ben White have started as the full-backs for the clash against the Hammers.

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Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, and Martin Odegaard have started in midfield. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are Nketiah's partners in the attack.

Jesus, who has scored five goals and provided seven assists for Arsenal since his summer move from Manchester City, suffered a knee injury during the FIFA World Cup. He had to undergo surgery and is expected to be out for an extended period.

Nketiah is the only player who can fill the role of an out-and-out striker at this point in time. He has made 19 appearances for the Gunners this season, six as a starter in the starting XI. Nketiah has scored three goals and provided one assist so far.

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Fans are excited to see the youngster start, with some even anticipating a hat-trick for the player.

Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter as Eddie Nketiah starts against West Ham United:

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is confident that Eddie Nketiah is ready for the big occasion

Arsenal FC v FC Zurich: Group A - UEFA Europa League
Arsenal FC v FC Zurich: Group A - UEFA Europa League

Eddie Nketiah is more than ready to fill Gabriel Jesus' shoes, according to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian wrote in his most recent column (via the club's official website):

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"I know Eddie is more than ready to step in. I think he will do that in a great way. He showed it towards the end of last season as well, when he started playing more regularly up front and he did really well."

He continued:

"I have to tell you in training Eddie’s looking really sharp, he’s always there for us and I’m sure he’s ready to step in, to help the team and keep us going in a good way, so I’m not too worried about that."

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Edited by Yasho Amonkar
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