Arsène Wenger has praised Chuba Akpom’s “killer instinct” after his hat-trick against Singapore Select XI on Wednesday, in an interview with Arsenal Player.
In the first match of Arsenal’s pre-season tour abroad, the Gunners starlet scored 3 goals in a strong 4-0 win in the Barclays Asia Trophy, giving a promising performance.
The England u20 international was especially prolific in the opposition’s penalty box, and his boss has praised him, saying: “I am delighted and not surprised because he has a killer instinct, you can feel his aggressive desire in the box.
“That capacity to push defenders away, brush them away with his power is there. He needs to work hard and hopefully he will be encouraged by his three goals.
“This is the age [where] you want them to push on. You can see that the other players see that when he plays he can score a goal for them. He will be fed by the confidence of them, so that is good.”
Akpom featured in a bit-part role last season, making substitute appearances and sitting on the bench. However, he has impressed in the club youth set-up, and with fellow striker Yaya Sanogo set to go out on loan again this season, the 2015/16 campaign could be the one for Akpom to break into the team, and perhaps make a few starts in the domestic cup competitions.
The Englishman certainly has the potential – a record of 15 goals in his last 23 academy appearances, and impressive showings that gave a return of 9 goals altogether in the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup, pointing towards that. After spells out on loan at Brentford, Coventry City and Nottingham Forest, it’s time for these career-buexperiences to accumulate into a solid opportunity in the Arsenal first team.
It appears that Arsène Wenger certainly has the faith in Chuba Akpom, and is aware of the potential he holds, it’ll be interesting to see how the forward can handle the added expectation that comes with such fine displays in future games.
