Jorginho names 'talented' Arsenal star who can fill Martin Odegaard void after injury blow

Jorginho has identified academy ace Ethan Nwaneri as a candidate to step in for Martin Odegaard after the latter sustained an ankle injury while on international duty with Norway.

Leandro Trossard filled Odegaard's shoes in the No.10 spot during Arsenal's North London Derby triumph against Spurs, a match which saw Jorginho take on the captaincy and lead the Gunners to a narrow 1-0 victory, courtesy of Gabriel's goal.

Next up for Arsenal is the Champions League fixture against Atalanta, and Jorginho is advocating for Nwaneri's inclusion. The promising talent made a brief but noteworthy appearance in the final moments against Tottenham, earning Jorginho's praise for his qualities and potential.

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"He's a young lad who is growing a lot and is improving every single day. A talented player with good skills who can dribble, break lines, find the goal and find the pass," remarked Jorginho about Nwaneri.

"I think he can have a good future in front of him if he stays the way he's been training and tries to improve every day. Like every single young kid, they're quiet at the moment but over time he's going to get experience and come out of his shell."

Jorginho underscored the importance of daily improvement and learning from past seasons, implying that Nwaneri's time will come if he keeps developing at the current pace.

He added: "The hunger to win, sticking together, trying to help each other and all the work that we put together behind the scenes from the staff helps players on the pitch. That's the key. The spirit of this group, the energy, the atmosphere in the changing room and training ground is absolutely incredible."

Arteta has conceded that losing Odegaard is a significant setback for his team's aspirations. However, he remains optimistic that other squad members will rise to the occasion in his captain's absence.

"After everything was scanned, they showed that there was some damage, especially in one of the ligaments in the ankle so we're going to miss him. I don't want to [put a timeframe on it] because I am not a doctor," he said.

"But it is something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while hopefully not months but let's see. He's our captain - he's one of our biggest players. He's been one of the most consistent players in the last two or three seasons."

"Our identity is very related to his way of playing and his way of behaving. We're going to have to deal with [his absence] and that's a great test for the team as well - how capable we are to show maybe a different face. The fact [is] we have other players and other options that can be very effective."