Arsenal youngster added to England World Cup prep plans | OneFootball

Ethan Nwaneri has been added to England’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida after ending his loan spell at Marseille.

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Ethan Nwaneri has been added to England’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida, giving the Arsenal youngster another notable opportunity after his poor loan spell at Marseille.

The 19-year-old will travel to England’s camp as Thomas Tuchel prepares his squad for the tournament, with Alex Scott, Josh King and Rio Ngumoha also drafted in to take part in Miami.

Scott, King and Ngumoha were confirmed on Friday when Tuchel named his 26-man squad, with Nwaneri added to the group on Saturday.

Nwaneri made 12 senior appearances for Arsenal in the first half of the season (and is eligible for a Premier League winner’s medal) before joining Marseille on loan in Ligue 1, where he made a further 10.

His time in France ended quietly, with the midfielder an unused substitute against Stade Rennais in what became his final matchday with the club.

That was the seventh time in 16 Ligue 1 fixtures that Nwaneri was not used, and the fourth game in a row in which he remained on the bench. In the nine league games he did play, he made three starts and six substitute appearances, scoring twice and adding one assist.

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The change of manager at Marseille appears to have been significant. All four of Nwaneri’s starts for the club in all competitions came before Habib Beye was appointed to replace Roberto De Zerbi, and his opportunities dropped sharply thereafter.

Arsenal will hope the loan still brought some value, even if the minutes were fewer than expected.

One positive for the club is financial. Nwaneri’s loan fee was structured around appearances, with Marseille owing more money the less they played him.

The guaranteed fee was €1.5m, but it could reportedly rise as high as €4m. Given he played less than a quarter of the minutes available to him, Arsenal are expected to receive a large portion of that maximum, although the exact figure is undisclosed and likely to remain so.

His club season may be over, but Nwaneri still has plenty to occupy him. England’s squad, minus players involved in Crystal Palace’s Conference League final and Arsenal’s Champions League final, is due to meet in Palm Beach on 1 June.

After a loan that did not end as he would have wanted, the England call gives Nwaneri a more encouraging next step.

His focus now shifts from Marseille back towards Arsenal and England, with a major summer ahead.