Arsenal
Actor Ethan Nwaneri recently celebrated his 18th birthday. How does his current performance metrics stack up against those of Wayne Rooney during his time as a prodigious talent at Everton?
It's quite uncommon for someone young enough not to qualify for an alcoholic drink order to make such a significant impact upon arrival on the scene. Only Michael Owen and Rooney have accomplished this.
netted additional Premier League objectives
Before turning 18, Nwaneri has achieved more.
Nwaneri became the Premier League’s youngest-ever debutant when Mikel Arteta handed him his bow in the closing stages of a 3-0 victory over Brentford in September 2022.
At the age of merely 15 years and 181 days, he became part of the lineup – a record unmatched in Premier League history as the youngest player to play before reaching 16 years old.
Unlike Rooney, the Arsenal wonderkid had to bide his time for further opportunities. That brief cameo was his only first-team appearance that season, while he only notched a further one in the full 2023-24 campaign.
By the time he turned 17, he had emerged as a key figure for Arteta’s Arsenal squad—his exceptional skills becoming especially valuable during an offensive injury crisis, thus providing him with consistent playing time.
Rooney surprisingly ranks as the 17th youngest player to make a Premier League debut. When he first played for his childhood team, Everton, in an August 2002 game where they drew 2-2 with Spurs at home, Rooney was just 16 years and 297 days old. He started that match and helped set up Mark Pembridge’s opening goal.
The young man from Croxteth never looked back after that point, quickly establishing himself as a key member of David Moyes' first-team roster.
“It’s a special goal and a special talent, an English talent, the biggest English talent that I’ve seen here since I’m in England and by far, he has everything what you dream to have,” a magnanimous Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports after a 16-year-old Rooney announced himself to the world with an inspired long-range injury-time match-winner against Arsenal.
“Intelligent, quick reactions, good with running with the ball, moves forward quickly and of course, he’s very accurate in front of goal.”
That was Rooney’s first Premier League goal, just six days before his 17th birthday in October 2002.
“I hope he will not be injured now within the next two or three years and that mentally, he will be able to cope with what’s happening to him but he’s a huge talent,” Wenger added.
“Well, that’s too early to say [whether he will leave Everton for an elite club] that but I just give you my frank opinion of what I feel and he’s too young to move anywhere now, he first has to prove at Everton how far he can go. He has time in front of him to see first, step by step and feet on the Earth, that’s the most important thing you can wish.”
Rooney's exceptional play broke the Gunners' streak of 30 matches without a loss. Later, during Manchester United's match against Arsenal in their historic 49-match undefeated run, Rooney scored again in the notorious 'Battle of the Buffet' defeat at Old Trafford in October 2004.
Some people have suggested that Rooney didn’t completely fulfill his potential, which seems far-fetched considering he became both Manchester United’s and England’s all-time leading scorer (a record later surpassed by Harry Kane).
Rooney made over a hundred international appearances and led the English national team towards the end of his career following a stint where he claimed five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League title, and three League Cups. In terms of Premier League goals, only Alan Shearer and Kane have found the net more often than Rooney did during his time on the pitch.
It's quite impressive that Nwaneri’s performance so far can be compared to a young Rooney during his time at Everton. However, we should approach these statistics cautiously, considering that Nwaneri plays for an Arsenal team currently sitting second in the league table, unlike Moyes' Everton, which finished seventh when Rooney made his mark in the 2002-03 season.
Nwaneri has not received his first call-up for England yet; however, he will likely be considered by Thomas Tuchel in the coming months and years. Rooney, on the other hand, became part of Sven-Göran Eriksson’s senior team at age 17, netting twice in seven appearances before turning 18.
However, for this comparison, we've focused solely on their statistics from their club careers.
Here’s how Ethan Nwaneri’s current career statistics stack up against Wayne Rooney’s performance at Everton when he was 18 years old:
Ethan Nwaneri’s statistics with Arsenal up until now
All Competitions
Games:
31
Starts:
12
Sub Appearances:
19
Goals:
8
Assists:
1
Minutes per goal:
138
Time per goal or assist:
122
Premier League
Games:
19
Starts:
7
Sub Appearances:
12
Goals:
3
Assists:
1
Minutes per goal:
204
Time per goal or assist:
153
Wayne Rooney joined Everton at the age of 18
All Competitions
Games:
46
Starts:
22
Sub Appearances:
24
Goals:
9
Assists:
2
Minutes per goal:
266
Minutes per goal or assist:
218
Premier League
Games:
41
Starts:
19
Sub Appearances:
22
Goals:
7
Assists:
2
Minutes per goal:
291
Minutes per goal or assist:
227
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