Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri sent stark Marseille warning: 'He has to give way more' | OneFootball

Gunners youngster has struggled for regular starts since heading to France in January

Marseille head coach Habib Beye has warned Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri that he must show “way more commitment” during his loan spell at the club.

Nwaneri has found regular starts hard to come by since joining the French giants in January on a loan deal until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old scored on his debut against title-chasing Lens and started four games in a row after initially arriving at Marseille, but his last six appearances have all been as a substitute.

Nwaneri was not used at all off the bench during Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Nice in Ligue 1 despite Marseille’s current injury issues, with Beye acknowledging the player’s obvious talent but questioning his daily work ethic.

Nwaneri is a graduate of Arsenal’s Hale End academy and became the youngest player ever to feature in the Premier League when he made his senior debut in September 2022 aged just 15 - that record has since been claimed by Gunners team-mate Max Dowman.

Nwaneri continued to impress manager Mikel Arteta and made 37 appearances across all competitions last season, but quickly fell down the pecking order following a summer of heavy transfer spending at the Emirates Stadium that included the arrivals of the likes of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.

Bit-part role: Ethan Nwaneri has played just 412 minutes for Marseille since joining on loan from Arsenal

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Nwaneri initially appeared set to stay put at Arsenal for the remainder of the campaign despite a lack of regular opportunities, only to join Marseille, who were then under the management of now Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Arteta said the teenager would benefit from “being thrown to the sharks in an incredible football atmosphere” as he described his switch to the Stade Velodrome, citing the previous development of Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, who has flourished and become one of the world’s best defenders following his own previous loan stints back in France at Marseille, Nice and Saint-Etienne.