Mikel Arteta calls up young midfielder likened to Cesc Fabregas to Arsenal training pre-Everton
Posted By Joe E
May 17, 2024
5:48 am
Share
Arsenal remain firmly in the Premier League title picture going into the final matchday of the 2023/24 campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are currently second in the table, two points behind leaders Manchester City.
On Sunday, Arsenal host Everton at the Emirates Stadium in a 4pm kick-off. They’ll be desperate to win it and hope West Ham can get a result at the Etihad Stadium.
Arteta has been putting his players through their paces in training, with their Tuesday session taking place at Arsenal’s stadium.
One of the club’s academy players could be spotted in one of the pictures, a ‘tireless’ midfielder who has been likened to Cesc Fabregas.
The player in question is Jack Henry-Francis, who has been in good form for the Under-21s this season. He’s on the right-hand side of the below photo.
Who is Arsenal academy midfielder Jack Henry-Francis?
Jack Henry-Francis joined Arsenal from Fulham aged 12, and has risen through the ranks to become a fixture for the Under-21s.
The official Gunners website describes the 20-year-old as a ‘box-to-box, energetic’ midfielder who is ‘aggressive and tenacious in the tackle’.
Meanwhile, Arsenal youth team expert Jeorge Bird has described him as a ‘midfielder who is capable of breaking up play and initiating attacks’.
Henry-Francis ‘often brings a lot of energy with his performances and is very hard working’, added Bird.
The Arsenal academy ace shot to prominence with a superb performance for the first-team against Hibernian in pre-season in 2021.
Henry-Francis came off the bench in the clash in Edinburgh and impressed fans with his movement, quick distribution and desire to have the ball.
A number of Arsenal fans on X have compared him to Cesc Fabregas.
It’ll be exciting to see how Henry-Francis continues to develop in the coming years, and hopefully we’ll get to see him in the first team or perhaps on loan at an EFL club next term.