Akpom Trains With Arsenal First Team Pre-Red Star, Tipped To Make It

The probability of Nigerian striker Chuba Akpom featuring for Arsenal in their Europe League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night has increased.

Arsenal youth-team expert Jeorge Bird says the Hale End Academy product was part of the first-teamers and academy players that trained before the trip to Serbia on Wednesday.

Akpom scored his first goal of the season as Arsenal claimed a 2-0 win over Sunderland in the Premier League 2 on Monday.

The 22-year-old was in the Gunners 18-man squad against Cologne and BATE in their first two games of the Europa League, but didn't appear off the bench in both matches.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles star Alex Iwobi has tipped Akpom as the next player to graduate from the academy to the first team.

''I don’t know who to expect because you never know at this time who will come through,'' Iwobi told FourFourTwo.

''But I would say Chuba Akpom. He’s next to join. I knew Chuba since the age of three, playing Sunday league with him and we’re still at Arsenal together.''

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : arsenal.com