Arsenal U21 captain Butler-Oyedeji trains with first team ahead of UCL clash against Atalanta 

Five days after he was crowned the Premier League 2 Player of the Month for August 2024, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji was invited to train with Arsenal's first team ahead of the UEFA Champions League meeting with Atalanta. 

According to Arsenal youth team guru Jeorge Bird, versatile forward Butler-Oyedeji was invited to train with the first team on Wednesday morning before the Gunners trip to Bergamo.

The Hale End Academy graduate has not been named in Arsenal's main squad for the Champions League but he's eligible to be included on List B, given that he was born after January 1, 2023.

Teams can boost their Champions League squad with U21 players, provided the names are submitted to UEFA by 00:00 CET on the night preceding each match throughout the competition.

Butler-Oyedeji is not eligible to represent Arsenal in the UEFA Youth League and it remains to be seen whether he will be named in the traveling squad to Italy on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old has been in red-hot form since the start of the new season, tallying four goals and two assists in four appearances across all competitions for the U21s.

He has not been called up to the first team for an official match since he was an unused substitute against Oxford United in the FA Cup back in January 2023.

Apart from Butler-Oyedeji, Ethan Nwaneri, Brian Okonkwo and Josh Nichols are eligible to be registered on List B for the Champions League as they are U21 players and have been on the books of Arsenal for an uninterrupted period of two years.

Butler-Oyedeji captained Arsenal's development squad in two of their opening three matches of the new Premier League 2 season.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: arsenal.com

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