Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri becomes youngest-ever Premier League player at 15 years old

By Ben Hayward
last updated

Arsenal sent on 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri as a substitute in their 3-0 win away to Brentford, making him the youngest in PL history

Arsenal's 15-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri comes on to make his Premier League debut in the game against Brentford.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri has become the youngest player in Premier League history after coming on as a late substitute against Brentford.

Nwaneri was named in the squad for Sunday's game and with the Gunners 3-0 up and time ticking away at the Brentford Community Stadium, the 15-year-old replaced Fabio Vieira in the 90th minute.

Born in 2007, Nwaneri is aged just 15 years and 181 days and becomes the first 15-year-old to play in the Premier League.

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He breaks a record previously held by Liverpool's Harvey Elliott, who made his Premier League debut for Fulham at the age of 16 years and 30 days.

Arsenal's youngester-ever Premier League debutant was their popular midfielder Jack Wilshere, who made his bow in the competition at 16 years and 256 days.

Nwaneri, who can operate all across the midfield and as a number 10, started the season with Arsenal's under-18s before moving up to the U-21 team and has now gone on to make his debut in the Premier League.

The youngster, who has represented England at U-16 and U-17 level, does not turn 16 until March next year.

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Ben Hayward
Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.