Cowley not afraid to let Arsenal ace loose

DANNY COWLEY won’t hold back Miguel Azeez as he prepares to unleash the Arsenal starlet on League One.

The 18-year-old arrived at Fratton Park on loan from the Gunners this week, after making a sizeable impression throughout their youth ranks.

Azeez was the Arsenal under-23s captain, and had made two appearances in Premier League 2, scoring once, before making the switch to PO4.

And Cowley isn’t frightened of letting the midfielder loose on the third tier despite his tender years.

The Blues’ boss said: ‘Azeez is one of those players who dribbles with his head up and then has the ability to play the ball through.

‘He isn’t afraid to shoot from distance, but we need to remember he’s still only 18 years old, not 19 until next month – but if they’re good enough, they’re old enough.

‘Miguel is certainly good enough, but unfortunately we don’t have him this week because he’s away with the England under-20s at St George’s Park, but we’re certainly looking forward to him joining us from next week onwards.’

Cowley has a history with developing Arsenal prospects as he nurtured Emile Smith Rowe at Huddersfield during the second half of the 2019-20 Championship season.

However, the former Terriers boss was quick to stop comparisons between the two players.

Cowley added: ‘First of all, they’re obviously different players, but both with huge talent.

‘Miguel is a player with huge athleticism but he also has a fantastic technical ability.

‘His skills when receiving passes are top quality, he also has the ability to speed the play up and penetrate passes with the ball.’

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