Ethan Nwaneri urged to ‘swim with sharks’ after swapping Arsenal for Marseille

Mikel Arteta has challenged Ethan Nwaneri to ‘swim with the sharks’ after the Arsenal teenager completed a season-long loan move to Marseille.

The 18-year-old impressed for Arteta’s injury-hit squad in a breakthrough campaign last year, scoring nine times across all competitions.

But he has found opportunities difficult to come by so far this term, with both club captain Martin Odegaard and £60million summer arrival Eberechi Eze preferred in the number 10 role.

Nwaneri, who signed a five-year deal to remain at the Emirates last summer, has not started a Premier League match this season, playing just 165 minutes in the competition so far. However, he will now follow in William Saliba’s footsteps by joining Marseille on loan.

And Arteta admitted: “The talented young players that we have need minutes, and Ethan wasn’t getting enough minutes.

“The last thing we want to do is cut his development because he’s such a talent. He lives and breathes football. That’s his life.

“Having all the options, and understanding the experience that we had in Marseille with William (Saliba), and the fact that Roberto (De Zerbi) is there, who is an incredible developer of young talent and the courageous way he plays, means it is going to be a great experience for Ethan.”

As a player, Arteta spent a season on loan at Paris St Germain when he was 18, and the Spaniard continued: “The first thing is excitement because you speak to the manager, he’s very keen on you, and you’re going to start a lot of games, and that’s all very good.

“But then you have to go: ‘Okay, pack your bags, here are the flight tickets to Marseille’.

“And then there is the fear and the insecurity of getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him (Nwaneri).

“At the end you have to be thrown to the sharks in an incredible football atmosphere, and it’s going to make him so good.”

Arteta will face a selection dilemma for the visit of Manchester United to the Emirates on Sunday following Gabriel Jesus’ impressive two-goal haul in Arsenal’s 3-1 midweek Champions League victory against Inter Milan.

Viktor Gyokeres, who has struggled in his first season in north London, came off the bench to score Arsenal’s third in Italy.

But asked if it will be hard to leave Jesus out for the visit of Michael Carrick’s side, Arteta replied: “Well it’s exactly what you want from a striker.

“But at the end you have to pick what you think is the best team to start against a different opposition, a different context, and who you want to finish the game, too.

“So tomorrow evening or the morning of the match we will decide it.”

Arteta is set to be boosted by the return from injury of both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie, leaving teenager Max Dowman as Arsenal’s sole sidelined player.

Arsenal head into this weekend’s round of fixtures seven points clear at the top as they chase their first Premier League title in 22 years.