YOUNG GUNNER WON’T BRICK IT

IT is unlikely that Arsenal’s Premier League record breaker Ethan Nwaneri will end up working on a building site – the fate of another precocious youngster.

Matthew Briggs held the distinction of being the Premier League’s youngest ever debutant for 12 years – at the age of 16 years and 68 days – when he made his debut for Fulham in a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.

The next day he was back at school taking his GCSE exams.

“I was buzzing, everyone was coming up to me asking for my autograph, hardly believing I had just played in the Premier League,” he said. “The significance of what I had achieved hadn’t really sunk in.”

It IS probably the same for young Gunner Nwaneri (above), who, at 15 years and 181 days, replaced Fabio Vieira for the last few minutes of the trip to Brentford.

“At least nobody can change the fact that for 12 years I was the youngest Premier League player,” said Briggs, referring to his debut in 2007.

A surprise call-up by Guyana helped to soothe the pain of dropping down the divisions – after Briggs failed to fulfil his potential at Fulham, culminating in a spell labouring on a building site. He admitted: “I don’t regret that because it taught me some life skills as well as learning to build walls.

“It also makes you realise how privileged professional footballers are – especially those in the Premier League.”

The one bright spot was the discovery that he qualified to play for Guyana through his grandmother.

“Representing Guyana was everything to me at the time. It gave me a real boost,” he added.

Now 31, Briggs also played in Denmark for two different clubs.

And last season, he joined Southern League side Gosport Borough – quite some way from the heights of the top flight.