Michail Antonio of West Ham has admitted to being “surprised” by Eddie Nketiah’s recent performances for Arsenal.
Eddie Nketiah scored Arsenal’s third goal in their Boxing Day victory over West Ham, and Hammers star Michail Antonio was impressed by the striker’s recent performances.
Michail Antonio of West Ham has admitted to being “surprised” by Eddie Nketiah’s recent performances for Arsenal.
Nketiah has started six consecutive games for Arsenal in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus. Nketiah has excelled despite concerns about how he would handle being Arsenal’s leading man in their Premier League title push.
Since Jesus’ injury, the striker has scored six goals, assisting Mikel Arteta’s men to maintain their top-of-the-table position and advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup. One of those strikes came in their Boxing Day win over the Hammers.
And his performance that day at the Emirates left West Ham striker Antonio extremely impressed with the 23-year-old. Antonio praised Arsenal’s star and predicted that he would continue his successful run.
“Ugh, the way he played against us. He took me by surprise. He took me by surprise! He dropped in deep, picked it up, and rolled a couple of our defenders to score. “He was great,” he said on The Footballer’s Football Podcast.
“I’ve been watching him since that moment, and he’s done it in so many games. He’s a fantastic striker, and I’m delighted for him. A young boy is approaching and demonstrating his abilities.
“You don’t always have to go out and spend money; in your academy, you can bring boys up and they can do it.”
Nketiah’s scoring streak continued on Sunday, when he scored the game-winning goal in Arsenal’s match against Manchester United with an improvised finish. And Arteta is hoping to keep up his good form when Arsenal face Manchester City in the FA Cup on Friday.
“He’ll try again the next time, and he’ll miss chances, and he’ll definitely miss more chances this season. But I guarantee you that he’ll try it again for the next one. He’s not going to run away “Arteta stated following United’s victory.
“Eddie is doing amazing things. We can’t say we saw it, but we were hoping he could do it because of who he is, his mentality, his qualities, and how those qualities fit within the team.
“Losing Gabby was a big blow, and it is still a big blow today, but Eddie is responding, and I believe the team is responding exceptionally well. The qualities he possesses, how much he desires it, and how much faith he has in himself to become Arsenal’s number nine.
“We’re with him every day, [he’s] a special kid, he’s so loved by everyone at the football club, he’s got a true Arsenal heart and experience within him, and that’s really special. That is impossible to quantify. He’s extremely talented.”