10 Arsenal youth players train with first team ahead of PSG | OneFootball

10 Arsenal academy players trained with the first team ahead of Tuesday’s match against PSG, though only a few are likely to make the matchday squad.

Mikel Arteta and Ethan Nwaneri (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Ahead of a big Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, a number of Arsenal youngsters had the opportunity to train with the senior side on Monday.

To start with the obvious, Ethan Nwaneri was still with the first-team players, as well as Jack Porter and Alexei Rojas.

With Tommy Setford still injured, and Lucas Nygaard returning from injury but preparing for the UEFA Youth League game against PSG with the u19s, Porter and Rojas remain Arsenal’s backup goalkeepers for now.

You’d expect Nwaneri and one of Porter or Rojas to make the matchday squad, with the other goalkeeper attending the game as an emergency backup.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri in first-team training with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Myles Lewis-Skelly also wasn’t a surprise inclusion in training, after his excellent first start for the Gunners last week. They were joined by high-flying youth forward Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and centre-back Maldini Kacurri, who made his debut on Wednesday.

Later in the session, Arsenal Youth report that Jimi Gower, Zac Shuaib, Josh Ogunnaike, and Louis Zecevic-John all joined in. It’s likely that was to make up numbers, and that the quartet won’t be involved against PSG.

The exact number of youth call-ups will depend on first-team availability, such as whether or not Mikel Merino is involved. The midfielder is with the squad ahead of the game, but whether he’d named on the bench remains to be seen.

Mikel Merino in training with Arsenal alongside Jimi Gower (Photo via Arsenal.com)

At the very least, you’d expect Nwaneri, a goalkeeper, and Lewis-Skelly to be named. For the rest, Monday was just another chance to test themselves against the best the club has to offer.