Arsenal’s youngsters are giving manager Unai Emery a headache, according to forward Alex Iwobi.
Joe Willock scored twice in Saturday’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Blackpool, while fellow 19-year-old Eddie Nketiah also started and impressed along with 21-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The average age of the side was reduced even further when 17-year-old Bukayo Saka replaced Iwobi for the final few minutes.
It was a potentially tricky encounter for Arsenal against the League One side on a bumpy Bloomfield Road pitch, with Blackpool having given the Gunners a good game in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, but there were few alarms for Emery’s side.
Iwobi said on arsenal.com: “We knew it was going to be difficult and it’s not like the Emirates where it’s a big pitch. It’s all tight and compact, but we managed and we were able to focus on the game and do well.
“Blackpool are a good team. They fight well and they win aerial duels and we knew we were going to be up against it but we dug deep to get the result.
“It’s good that we have youngsters like Joe and Eddie who came in and did well. Even Bukayo Saka who came on. We have a lot of pace in the team.
“It’s one for the manager, there’s going to be a lot of headaches for who he has to play if we keep on fighting for positions and getting three goals.”