O’Neill and Scanlon gain further senior international experience

It may seem like a somewhat strange situation but there have been several instances of players featuring at senior level on the international stage while still technically being a youth player at Arsenal.

That was the case previously for the likes of Karl Hein and Daniel Ballard, who first represented Estonia and Northern Ireland respectively when they were both very young, while Maldini Kacurri was also involved for Albania.

Incidentally, one of Ballard’s new team-mates at international level is Arsenal prospect Ceadach O’Neill, who made his fourth senior appearance for Northern Ireland as a substitute in a 3-0 victory against Ukraine last night.

O’Neill has made excellent progress at club level for Arsenal over the past year or so and has demonstrated his ability to make an impact whether deployed as a striker, winger or midfielder.

The youngster has already been named on the bench for the first-team and featured in pre-season, with it seemingly being just a matter of time before he makes his competitive debut for the Gunners.

Another member of Arsenal’s U21 squad was involved in senior international football this week, with recent signing James Scanlon (who can play as a winger or a midfielder) scoring for Gibraltar in a 1-1 draw against Malta.

Scanlon, despite having only recently turned 20, has already featured 27 times for Gibraltar at senior level and has scored six goals.

Playing senior international football will undoubtedly be of great benefit to both O’Neill and Scanlon as they aim for an opportunity at Arsenal.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on X @jeorgebird

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