Amani Richards makes an instant impact for Arsenal U18s

Amani Richards joined Arsenal from Chelsea recently and the young forward hasn’t wasted any time in settling into his new surroundings.

Having made his debut for Arsenal U18s as a substitute against Fulham earlier this month, Richards was given his first start at that level yesterday as the young Gunners took on Leicester City.

The game ended 1-1, with Richards getting on the scoresheet and receiving a considerable amount of praise for his performance.

Also capable of playing on either flank, the 16-year-old is very skilful and direct, and it will be intriguing to see how he develops next season when he becomes a full-time scholar at London Colney.

Another recent arrival, forward Kaleel Green, made his U18s debut yesterday. The prospect was previously at Southampton and is known for his flair.

There was another debutant too, with Kristopher Elian Quesada-Thorn, a Hale End graduate, coming on for the latter stages.

Eligible to represent Costa Rica or England, he is usually deployed at left-back.

It was a rather depleted Arsenal U18 side that took to the field against Leicester, with a host of players rested for next Friday’s eagerly-anticipated trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird