Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been putting his Gunners players through their paces ahead of their Premier League home meeting with Wolves on Saturday.
The North Londoners are aiming to win three league matches in a row for the first time this season, and pick up a fifth consecutive win in all competitions.
On Friday, Arsenal youth team expert Jeorge Bird reported that a number of Gunners academy players took part in first-team training at London Colney.
Seb Ferdinand, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Reuell Walters, Daniel Oyetunde, Charles Sagoe Jr, Khayon Edwards and Taylor Foran were amongst those involved in the session.
Arsenal Under-21s were scheduled to play West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League 2 on Friday. However, the game was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
Arsenal focusing on their young talent
Seb Ferdinand has enjoyed a fruitful season for Arsenal so far. He has registered four goals and two assists in all competitions at youth level.
The 17-year-old winger has two goals and one assist from eight Under-18 Premier League outings. He also has two goals and one assist from two EFL Trophy outings.
Ferdinand’s last outing came in midweek. He featured as a substitute for the Under-19s against Lens in the UEFA Youth League, which Arsenal lost 2-0.
Last season, the Arsenal website featured an interview with Ferdinand in their Young Gun coverage.
He described himself as a ‘tricky winger who works hard in and out of possession and can contribute with goals and assists to help the team.’
Arsenal youth coach Jack Wilshere said of Ferdinand last year: “Seb is just getting better and better.
“He works hard in training, he’s always out there, he’s always willing to learn and when you have a player like that with that hunger and desire to get better, he’s a joy to work with.
“We’ve challenged him to start scoring more, start assisting more and he’s getting in better positions.
“I said to him after the game that I want him to realise how good he is,
Because sometimes I think that can make the difference.”
Ferdinand looks like a top talent and it’s good to see him featuring in senior training. The experience he’ll get is invaluable. Hopefully we’ll see him develop further in the coming years.
