Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has admitted he is “very, very pleased” with Ethan Nwaneri following his arrival from Arsenal this summer.
Fussball Transfers report comments from the Dortmund boss regarding the 19-year-old following his solid start to life in Germany.
Dortmund loan move
Ethan Nwaneri joined Dortmund on loan from Arsenal at the end of the summer transfer window as a replacement for the injured Giannis Konstantelias.
He had spent much of the summer seeking such a move, with playing time in limited supply at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta.
He has quickly been given his chance to impress by Kovac, with two appearances totalling 113 minutes to date. And he rewarded that faith with an assist in the recent 3-2 win over Hoffenheim. Kovac is impressed by what he has seen.
“He has already shown in his two appearances that he can help us,” he said.
“I am very, very pleased with him. He will be very important for us in the coming weeks and months. (He has) integrated brilliantly; he is a great guy – very calm, down-to-earth, friendly, and helpful – and a very good footballer.”
Loan restart
The Arsenal man will now be hoping to kick on from that start and enjoy a stronger loan spell than his one at Marseille last season.
He was expected to play a big role under Roberto de Zerbi at the French club. Instead, he finished the campaign with just 23 appearances and 927 minutes under his belt. Just 322 of those minutes came in Ligue 1.
It was a disappointing outcome for what had, initially, looked like a smart move for the 19-year-old. Now he is hoping for a fresh start in Germany to give his young career the kickstart it requires.
Fortunately, it appears he has a manager in Kovac who is already impressed by what he’s seen so far.
