Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has tipped Gunners U19 wonderkid Gedion Zelalem to be a future star for the seniors and has said it could be a matter of months before he gives the 17-year-old his proper taste of life as a first team player.
German-born Zelalem, who plays as a creative midfielder, is one to watch according to his boss Wenger.
The youngster was scouted and picked up by Arsenal last year whilst playing with US-based youth club Olney Rangers and he is back in the US this week – only this time with the Arsenal senior team on their pre-season tour.
Wenger dubbed the German a ‘promising talent’, a playmaker who possesses the spark and mental sharpness required in order to make achieve massive success in the highest ranks of football.
In a press conference ahead of Arsenal’s friendly match against MLS outfit New York Red Bulls, the Frenchman told reporters:
“I honestly think Gedion has the talent to become a great player, but that will be decided in the next two or three years because he has to show that he has the mental level required to be a top-level competitor.
“He is a creative player and he can create a spark, an opening with his passing, his vision through the lines.
“If he manages to develop his physique and keep his qualities, he can be a very important player. Let’s hope he will do it.”
For his young years Zelalem is fairly advanced in terms of experience, having played in the US (Olney Rangers), in Germany (Hertha Berlin) and now for one of the top four Premier League clubs in the UK.
The youngster has already had a sniff of first team football under Wenger, having made his brief debut as a substitute in an FA Cup match last season against Coventry City, aged just 16.
His development is understood to be progressing very well with the Arsenal youth academy and Wenger hinted that it could be a matter of months before he is confident enough in Zelalem’s abilities to transition him into the seniors.
“I believe he is a very young, promising talent who was educated here (in the United States).
“Today it is too early for him to play for us but I would say in one year we will know more about him.
“Maybe if it all goes well, in six months,” he added.