Mikel Arteta has said Ethan Nwaneri could be a striker in the future - but the 17-year-old might have to be one now.

It has been reported that Arsenal are set to be without Kai Havertz for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn hamstring during their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

A further update on his fitness is expected on Friday morning when Arteta holds his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leicester.

Losing Havertz would be a hammer blow for Arsenal and leave them with just three fit forwards in Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling.

One of that trio would have to lead the line, unless Arteta got incredibly creative with his problem solving.

Trossard has done so in the past and would be the most likely option, but the idea of playing Nwaneri as a No9 cannot be ruled out.

Arteta revealed this season that he could see Nwaneri developing into a striker, although he caveated that as being in the future and not now.

But circumstances could force that plan to shift and Nwaneri has shown an eye for goal this season.

He has found the net seven times and, if he manages three more goals before his 18th birthday next month, he will break a record set by Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.

Owen and Rooney scored nine goals in the Premier League before turning 18, which is a tally unmatched by anyone else.

Until, perhaps, Nwaneri - who has seven games before his 18th birthday on March 21 to write his name into the history books.

“I think he can develop into a No9,” Arteta said in December. “He has got the goal in front of him and he looks at the goal and he has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Arteta is not the first coach at Arsenal to think Nwaneri could play as a striker.

When Nwaneri was in the Under-14 and Under-15 sides, coaches then had the same idea and moved him up front.

Before that he had mainly been used as an attacking midfielder - which he views as his best position - and on the wing.

There was an even stage at Under-16 level that Nwaneri had a run as a defensive midfielder.

When played as a striker at youth level, he usually operated as a ‘false nine’. It was felt that brought the best out of his ability to create and bring others into play.

Nwaneri’s finishing and composure stood out, though, and that has stayed with him during his jump to first-team.

It may seem bold to say, but even at 17 he is already developing a signature finish.

Cutting in from the right, Nwaneri has an uncanny knack of finding the bottom corner with a curling effort, as was shown only too recent with his goals against Girona and Manchester City.

“This kind of goal does not happen by chance,” said midfielder Mikel Merino after Nwaneri’s goal at Girona.

“This kind of action is something you train. He is always trying to make this shot, trying to cross to the second post from the right side. It is something he trains every day. Obviously he has an amazing talent - but there is nothing that comes without hard work.”

Arteta admitted this month he is ready to “try something different” in attack given his lack of options and using Nwaneri as a No9 would be an intriguing experiment.

So far, he has risen to every challenge thrown at him and is arguably the best replacement for Bukayo Saka right now.

Given the way he has embraced that pressure, perhaps a go at leading the line could bring even more out of Nwaneri.