U-18 FA Young Gunners to Watch (Part 1)

Arsenal is renowned for having one of the best youth academies in the world. Through the years, some of the world's biggest talents have come from that very academy.

The U-18s managed to win their league and also the FA Youth Cup in a convincing performance against Liverpool. There are some very promising stars in both the Academy and in the Reserves.

Jack Wilshere (17)

Jack Wilshere has been seen by many as the most promising youngster this season. He earned himself a place in preseason training with the first team and later with some very impressive preseason performances inherited the No. 19 shirt from Gilberto.

He's best know for being both quick and aggressive. He put that out in blatant view in the preseason games, most notably against Real Madrid. Not lacking in creativity or goal-scoring ability, he performed extremely well in the preseason netting three goals. He made his debut in the Premier League against Blackburn, making him the youngest Arsenal player to play in the Premier League.

Wilshere bagged a goal and an assist in Arsenal's short Carling Cup run and capped off a brilliant FA Youth Cup Final with two strong performances and a goal.

Kieran Gibbs (19)

The midfielder turned fullback had a breakthrough season at Arsenal. He took a huge leap forward towards the end of the 2008/09 season. He made his first Premier League appearance following the injury of Gael Clichy against Tottenham.

With the absence of loaned out Armand Traore, and alternates William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre injured, Gibbs was given several starts in all competitions.

He put in a good effort, capping his 23 appearances with two assists and a very effective defensive effort, making 32 clearances in his eight league games.

Benik Afobe (16)

The 16-year-old signed a scholarship deal with Arsenal a few months ago. He has made the transition into the U-18s this season and has been very impressive, scoring a handful of goals to be proud of.

His next step is to get into the reserve team and maybe even feature in a few preseason matches this season.

Afobe is very fast, strong and a great finisher making him a very bright prospect for the future.

Fran Merida (19)

Another talented midfielder, Merida has proven himself time and time again with the reserves. The 18 (at the time) year-old went on loan to Real Sociedad at the end of the 2007/08 season gaining some valuable first team experience.

He was on the bench for several Premier League matches this season and finally made his debut against West Brom.

Merida can be compared to Cesc Fabregas, as he possesses similar vision and technical abilities as the Arsenal captain. He can become a vital playmaker in the squad in the seasons to come.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (18)

The top scorer for the U-18s this season and there's no question about the quality of this player. He's strong and works very hard.

His performances against Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup Final was one of the highlights of his season as he lifted the trophy as the U-18's captain.

Håvard Nordtveit (19)

A very talented defender standing at an impressive 6'2". He is currently on a loan spell in the Norwegian Premier League where he plays regular first team football.

Being a fairly tall defender, he is good in the air, and he is also physical and leads his defense well.

Martin Angha (15)

New boy Martin Angha has come to Arsenal with a good reputation. He eventually rose out as the captain of the U-16s at FC Zurich proving his leadership abilities. At 15 years old he stands at 6' making him great in the air.

He is also very good technically and has a lot of pace to go with it.