Ethan Nwaneri and an early England call-up: What impact could it have?
Arsenal have two teenagers who are viable options for Tuchel's squad. Myles Lewis-Skelly (18) and Ethan Nwaneri (17) have both impressed this season, but more eyes will be on the latter, given that he plays further forward and his role stepping in for injured talisman Bukayo Saka.
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Nwaneri has been playing right wing for Arsenal in the absence of England regular Saka and has seized the opportunity, scoring eight goals in all competitions this season and developing a reputation as one of Europe's most exciting youngsters.
With that has come hope — and possibly expectation — from some corners that a senior England call-up will be his reward. If Tuchel picks Nwaneri, it puts him in line to become England's seventh-youngest player ever, with his 18th birthday falling on March 21, the day the national team hosts Albania at Wembley for a World Cup qualifier.
Time is on his side either way. Nwaneri's readiness has never seemed in question — his quality is clear and his form is as strong as any England regular — but his 28 first-team appearances this season are more than were expected.
Saka's hamstring injury has helped him start nine of Arsenal's 16 games in 2025, despite recovering from a muscular injury of his own in January. That has resulted in 1,077 minutes in all competitions this season, with two matches still to play before the upcoming international break.
From an international standpoint, Nwaneri's most recent move up through the age groups came last September when he played made his England Under-19s debut. He has played nine games at that level this season, scoring six goals.
He has also captained the side three times across two camps in October and November. For the under-17s, he played at two European Championships and a World Cup.
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What sort of football will Thomas Tuchel's England play?
Nwaneri's club success at such a young age, including the possibility of him becoming an England player, puts him in the conversation with Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, whose joint record of nine goals scored for a Premier League club before turning 18 is under threat.
However, their early England progress differed, and it's difficult to use either one as a blueprint for Nwaneri stepping up.
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Rooney became England's youngest-ever player at 17 years, three months and 19 days when he came off the bench against Australia in March 2003. By that point, he had played almost an entire season of Premier League football and had made just one England Under-19 appearance, which came before his 17th birthday six months earlier.
Owen's exposure was slightly more gradual. He played seven games for England Under-18s before his Liverpool debut, and four games at the 1997 under-20 World Cup a month after his first Liverpool appearances. He made one under-21 appearance days after turning 18 in December 1997, then made his full England debut in February 1998 before winning the Premier League Golden Boot.
Saka was similar to Owen, making just one England Under-21 appearance aged 18 in September 2020 before joining the senior squad in their next camp. Gareth Southgate viewed Saka more as an attacking player than a wing-back, which was the role he had to play at club level back then. It was a case of when, not if, with Saka — and it feels the same with Nwaneri.
There is precedent for youngsters to skip the under-21s. Rooney did it. Kobbie Mainoo and Jadon Sancho are more recent examples — they both jumped up straight from the under-19s.
Mainoo's senior England debut came in the March international break of last year, a month before his 19th birthday. That set him up nicely to make the summer's Euro 2024 squad and play a key role in the tournament, but this season he has missed out on camps due to muscular injuries.
With no major tournament this year, Tuchel should not be in a rush. Like at club level, timing and opportunity could work in Nwaneri's favour with Saka still out injured, but there could also be a question of what position Tuchel would want to use him in.
If the England manager deems Nwaneri ready and suited for the upcoming internationals against Albania and Latvia, great. If not, he will be on Tuchel's radar for future camps.
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Ethan Nwaneri, the Arsenal 17-year-old who makes things happen
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