Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri will join three other England prospects for Thomas Tuchel’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida, as the Three Lions gear up for the tournament.
The 19-year-old, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Ligue 1 Marseille, has been drafted in alongside Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Fulham’s Josh King and Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha to help with preparations in Miami.
Scott, King and Ngumoha’s involvement was confirmed on Friday as Tuchel announced his 26-man squad for the finals, with Nwaneri added to the party on Saturday.
An official statement on England’s X account read: “Ethan Nwaneri will join our Three Lions preparation camp in Florida ahead of the FIFA World Cup.”
Nwaneri’s season
The teenager made 12 senior appearances for Arsenal this season before moving to France, where he featured a further 10 times, six of those from the bench.
He struggled for game time at the Stade Velodrome after Roberto De Zerbi, who initially trusted him following a debut goal against Lens, left the club and later took over at Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham.
Nwaneri failed to win favour with new manager Habib Beye, who criticised him for a lack of “day-to-day commitment.” However, this has not affected his standing with the England setup, where he has 15 caps for the Under-21 team.
England’s World Cup preparations
The England squad, minus players involved in the Conference League final (Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig) and the Champions League final (Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest), will assemble in Palm Beach on 1 June.
Tuchel’s side will play two warm-up matches: against New Zealand in Tampa and Costa Rica in Orlando, before moving to their tournament base in Kansas City on 13 June.
England begin their Group L campaign against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June, followed by a clash with Ghana in Boston six days later, and conclude the group stage against Panama in New Jersey on 27 June.
Additional reporting from PA.
