Gunners’ Iwobi reminiscent of uncle Okocha

It has been a week of firsts for Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi – he has made his full competitive debut for Nigeria this week and also scored for the Super Eagles in the win over Zambia.

His performances for Nigeria are a continuation of the meteoric rise Iwobi has experienced at the Emirates over the last six months, with the midfielder reportedly on the verge of a bumper new contract.

Iwobi broke into the Arsenal first team at the back end of last season, making 21 appearances during the season as the Gunners finished second to Leicester City in the Premier League.

And the winger has earned another run in the Gunners’ first team this campaign after catching the eye for Arsenal in the 1-1 Champions League draw against Paris St Germain.

His impressive form has even won praise from Arsenal’s star playmaker Mesut Ozil, who has compared the midfielder to Iwobi’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, and also legendary Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids.

The Germany international has formed a superb understanding with the Nigerian this season, and sees similarities with the two former greats.

“He reminds me of his uncle,” said Ozil. “He was a player I loved watching. Alex reminds me of a mixture of him and. He’s really strong on the ball, also defensively, but he’s good in front of goal too.

“He knows exactly what he can do. He isn’t scared and doesn’t hide on the pitch. He just wants to have fun playing football and that really shows on the pitch, and also in training.

“He’s developing really well and if he continues the way he’s been playing the whole season, he will really enhance his game. The manager knows exactly how good he is and I wish him all the best. He is really young and is on a really good path.”