Gnabry gains taste of limelight as others prepare for Reading test

It has been the most trying of weeks for Arsenal Football Club but for one particular youngster the past seven days have been particularly memorable for the right reasons.

Serge Gnabry had been regarded as a promising talent for some time and it was anticipated that he would feature in the Premier League at some stage this season. What wasn’t expected, however, was that his introduction to the competition would come so early on in the campaign, as injuries to Theo Walcott and then Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain meant that the 17 year old was introduced in the dying stages as a lacklustre Arsenal side lost out to the Canaries.

Gnabry was again called upon very late on against Schalke in midweek, and the dire nature of Arsenal’s overall performance was epitomised by the fact that it was the young German winger who had the side’s first shot on target of the game deep into stoppage time. Gnabry may well remain with the squad for tomorrow’s encounter with QPR, but is likely to receive a more sustained run-out against Reading in the Capital One Cup next week, where his first start for the club could be in the offing.

Much will depend on how quickly the club’s current injury situation clears up, but as things stand Gnabry could be joined by several of his U21 colleagues for the televised trip to the Madejski Stadium. Ignasi Miquel, Nico Yennaris, Martin Angha, Damian Martinez, Hector Bellerin and Thomas Eisfeld all made the squad for the last round against Coventry, and there could be some more unfamiliar names in the mix this time around, with left-back Jernade Meade, who has impressed recently for the U21s, and prodigious striker Chuba Akpom amongst those who could be considered for inclusion in the travelling party.

There will be a more senior element to the side as well, though, with Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong likely to be awarded their first starts of the season, whilst fringe squad members like Johan Djourou, Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh are likely to be called upon again.

With regards to domestic matters concerning Arsenal’s development sides, the U21s, helped by the aforementioned trio of Sagna, Wilshere and Frimpong, have progressed well in recent weeks, and two strikes taken in typically clinical fashion by Eisfeld were enough to see off Everton 2-1 this week.

The U18s, meanwhile, coached for the first time by Steve Gatting following the departure of Pat Holland, struggled against the same opponents, losing 3-1 despite Alex Iwobi scoring his first goal at that level.

There was more bad news for Liam Brady and the club’s development staff as an Arsenal U19 side suffered last minute heartbreak in Marseille, losing 1-0 to the French side in the NextGen Series. The results renders progression to the next phase of the competition a difficult task for Terry Burton’s side, with the two remaining fixtures coming against Athletic Bilbao, home and away.

There was a slither of positivity to take from the Marseille game, though, as Macedonian youth goalkeeper Dejan Iliev, who joined the club late in the summer transfer window, made his debut.