Arsenal legend Ian Wright has backed striker Eddie Nketiah to come out good in their upcoming Premier League clash against rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Wright believes Nketiah’s confidence after scoring a brace against Oxford United will spur him on in the north London derby on Sunday, January 15.
Nketiah scored Arsenal’s second and third goals in the 70th and 76th minutes, respectively, in their FA Cup third-round win over Oxford United. Midfielder Mohamed Elneny opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta’s men in the 63rd minute.
Wright admitted that Gabriel Jesus’ loss to a knee injury has been a big miss, but at the same time praised Nketiah for grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
“It’s sad to lose Gabriel, but Eddie has taken his chance. He has come in. We know what he is capable of,” the former Arsenal forward said on ITV.
“All you want now in this situation is the momentum of this FA Cup, keep it going to the next games and the next games, and he will start, so he will feel confident and he will be feeling good about going into the next game,” he added.
The Gunners currently lead the Premier League table and are five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who will face local rivals Manchester United on Saturday, January 14.
Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah has picked up form in Gabriel Jesus’ absence
Gabriel Jesus’ injury has allowed Eddie Nketiah to prove his worth to the Arsenal management. The Brazil international has missed four matches for the Gunners after picking up a knee injury at the Qatar World Cup.
In those four matches, Nketiah has scored four goals, one each against West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and twice against Oxford United.
The young English striker will want to continue his goal-scoring form and help the London-based giants through a tough run of fixtures at a crucial juncture of the 2022-23 season.
In all, Nketiah has scored seven goals in 23 appearances this season.
