After making unofficial senior debut, Super Falcons-eligible midfielder appointed Arsenal U21 captain

Allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report that Super Falcons-eligible midfielder Omotara Junaid has been elected by the coaching staff as the new captain of Arsenal Women U21 team for the 2024-2025 season.

The England U17 international, who turns 17 next month, agreed a fresh two-year deal at Arsenal before the start of the new season, and has been  promoted to the U21 squad for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons.

Junaid was invited to train with the Gunners first team over the month of August and was registered for the UEFA Women's Champions League.

At the end of last month, August 31, she made her unofficial first team debut in a pre-season friendly against Southampton, entering the game as a substitute in the 87th minute.

The 16-year-old was pleasantly surprised to be handed her debut in the away game as she was only informed on the eve of the game that she would be included in the matchday squad.

Although almost everyone was expecting her to sit on the bench against Southampton, as it's customary with young players, she got on the field in the 87th minute.

More surprisingly is that she was deployed in the heart of Arsenal's midfield after coming off the bench and did not look out of place facing much older players.

Despite being only 16 years and 332 days old at the time of her debut, Junaid played like a seasoned player,  making numerous touches and completing nearly all her passes in the approximately ten minutes she spent on the pitch.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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