Is it Arsenal’s version of Fergie’s Fledglings?

Dear sports lovers

After a week from hell, in which I was so preoccupied with our move into our new home I didn’t watch a single sports event on TV, I decided on Sunday I deserved a well-earned break.

Apart from the move, which I vowed would be my last until they whisk me off to the mortuary, I also had a car accident on the Friday, doing serious damage to my trusty jalopy.

I convinced the sports-hating wife that a relaxing afternoon at my new local, Uncle Jim’s Pub & Grill, would be just the tonic after a few forgettable days.

It must have been the fact that I offered to buy her lunch, but she agreed.

The affable manager on duty, Darren, is a Sunderland supporter and wasn’t too thrilled when I told him I wanted to watch the Arsenal-Bournemouth match on TV.

But after ribbing me about my choice of team to support, he agreed and we settled down at a cosy table in the pub.

The missus was miffed that I had conned her – I omitted to tell her beforehand that Arsenal were playing – but fortunately the table we were at had TV sets at either end.

Guy Hawthorne

The one behind me was exclusively for the Rugby World Cup, so the mood of the missus improved a tad because rugby is the one sport she tolerates.

Although the missus hates football, she did sneak the odd peek at the Arsenal game and commented on how good some of the youngsters in the team looked.

It made me think back to the 1990s and Alex Ferguson’s young Manchester United team that went on to win so many trophies.

“Fergie’s Fledglings” people called them, and they were the backbone of the side that came into its own with a league and FA Cup double victory in 1996.

Among the young players in that squad were David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, brothers Gary and Phillip Neville and Paul Scholes, all of whom went on to become stars.

Unai Emery’s current crop of Arsenal players is much the same.

There are a host of youngsters with plenty of promise and if they reach anywhere near their potential, he is going to build a mighty powerful squad.

There are six players in the first team squad who are 20 years or younger – Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock, both 20, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe, both 19, and 18-year-olds Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

I am the first to admit that they have a way to go, but the signs are there that they could all develop into very fine players in the near future and, who knows, Arsenal might well start regularly winning silverware again.

One can only hope…