Mikel Arteta busts Arsenal myth with Asia tour announcement as truth clear

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has often been accused of not giving youth a chance, but his squad selection for the club's pre-season tour of South East Asia says otherwise. The Gunners beat Championship side Watford 2-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney on Saturday before flying out to Singapore.

Arteta has named a 30-man squad for the trip, as they prepare to face AC Milan on Wednesday and Newcastle United four days later. Arsenal end the tour with a game against Tottenham on Thursday, July 31.

Part of the Spaniard's travelling contingent are Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke - the four new arrivals - and senior players including Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

Also on Arsenal's pre-season tour are eight young players who are going to be hoping to make a lasting impression on Arteta and the rest of the squad. After Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly made the step up from the club's Hale End academy last season, there could be another graduate to follow suit this term.

Tommy Setford, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon, Louie Copley, Ismeal Kabia, Max Dowman and Andre Harriman-Annous are the players that have been called up to first-team action for the tour.

Setford, Nichols and Kabia played for Arsenal during their Carabao Cup win against Bolton Wanderers last September, but the other five have not featured for the senior set-up so far. Indeed, Arsenal's trip to Asia has given them young stars the perfect chance to show Arteta what those eight players can do.

Still, there may be some Arsenal supporters that doubt whether Arteta is willing to give them a chance in a competitive fixture. As shown against Bolton - where several academy graduates got minutes - that is, in fact, a myth and the Spaniard is more than open to using players from the Hale End system.

Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah were often handed opportunities at the start of Arteta's reign, while Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were both given the chance in the first-team last season.

Folarin Balogun, Charlie Patino and Miguel Azeez are among those that haven't made it at Arsenal, but Arteta must have been convinced that none of those three were good enough to make the step up.

During Arsenal's pre-season tour in South East Asia, the eight young players will be handed a chance, that's for sure. Whether they feature much against AC Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that Arteta will have a good look at them and see if they are ready to play in the first-team.

Arsenal squad for Asia pre-season tour in full

Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Setford, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko

Defenders: William Saliba, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon

Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Christian Norgaard, Mikel Merino, Sambi Lokonga, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Louie Copley

Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz, Ismeal Kabia, Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous

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