It’s safe to say that Arsene Wenger was impressed by his latest talented teenagers in the Emirates Cup match against Lyon.
Jeff Rene-Adelaide made his Arsenal debut, coming off the bench, while Alex Iwobi scored in the same match. Rene-Adelaide is just 17, while Iwobi only turned 19 in May, and the Gunners boss picked the two out for particular praise after the 6-0 victory.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, he described Rene-Adelaide as “something special,” adding: “He is a great talent and when he came on you could see that – 17 years old, let’s not forget that.”
Wenger, who has been manager of the club since before the young winger was born, then joked: “I don’t remember how I played at 17 but I didn’t play like that!”
He also had serious praise for a serious player in Iwobi: “I like Alex Iwobi. Good attitude, efficient player. Maybe not so flashy but he understands the game. He is very efficient and works for the team.”
Always looking to the future – he also picked out Isaac Hayden and Chuba Akpom amongst the youngsters on display – Wenger said that “it is good we have these types of games as we see our young players,” adding that “it is exciting to work with these players. You can imagine how they will look in two or three years for the club. That is always exciting.”
All these years at the club evidently hasn’t dulled the thrill of developing young talent for Wenger.
