Ethan Nwaneri suffers fresh blow after pointed Mikel Arteta message

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Mikel Arteta allowed Ethan Nwaneri to leave Arsenal on loan during the winter transfer window, with the teenager joining Marseille

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted this week he isn't afraid to be ruthless when it comes to the futures of academy graduates Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. The timing couldn't have been much worse for the former, who was left on the bench by Marseille on Friday night, though the latter made a rare league start against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Arteta's title challengers are expected to need to sell to balance the books over the summer. Several senior stars could be at risk, with teenagers Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly among them after falling down the pecking order this term.

The boss recognised the importance of the Hale End academy in feeding the first team but also stressed youngsters have no guarantee of minutes unless they maintain the high standards. "It's (the academy system) part of us. At the end what has to define this football club is to seek for excellence and seek for the best, regardless if you're coming from the academy or abroad," Arteta said ahead of Saturday's game.

"If we can have players from Hale End, much better because the identity is there. We grow with them and they know exactly what we're looking for.

"But at the end they have to earn it. Not for a week, not for a month, for years. Like anybody else, it doesn't matter what department or role you have in the club. You have to sustain performance and that has to be at the very highest level if we want to win and be where we want to be."

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Nwaneri, 19, joined Marseille on loan for the second half of the season. He scored on his debut for the French club but saw manager Roberto De Zerbi quit just weeks later.

The attacking midfielder has seen opportunities limited under new boss Habib Beye. He has yet to start under the Senegalese manager and was an unused substitute on Friday as L'OM beat Metz 3-1.

Nwaneri started on the right of a front three under De Zerbi and replaced his injured compatriot in the recent defeat to Lille - the only time he has played more than 45 minutes under Beye. Greenwood was back against Metz despite not being fully recovered and set up two goals as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Igor Paixao and Hamed Traore all found the net.

"Yesterday, he told me he wasn't 100%, he was still in pain. This morning, he told me he was feeling much better," Beye said of Greenwood after the win.

"Against low blocks, we need technical players. He brought a lot to our game. He reassured me. You can see the attacking quality he provides. We'll have him back at 100% during the week."