"If only they knew" - Newcastle United star sends message to Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah after Manchester United brace

Newcastle United star Joe Willock has sent a congratulatory message to in-form Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah after his match-winning brace against Manchester United on Sunday (22 January).

The English striker has scored six goals in as many appearances across competitions since the resumption of club football after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He has done so in the absence of Gabriel Jesus.

The former Manchester City striker has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early December. Many believed the Gunners' title charge would be hampered by the Brazil international's injury.

But Nketiah has done exceedingly well in the meantime. Arsenal have picked up 13 points out of a possible 15 without Jesus, and Nketiah played a huge role in their latest victory.

He scored in the 24th minute against Manchester United with a textbook header to cancel out Marcus Rashford's opener. Just seconds before the 90-minute mark, Nketiah was on hand to execute a clever finish inside the box to hand his team a 3-2 win.

He has drawn incessant praise from fans and pundits alike for his recent performances, including from Gunners academy graduate Willock. After the full-time whistle at the Emirates, the Newcastle United midfielder shared a picture of Nketiah on his Instagram story and captioned it (@TheArsenalGuns):

"If only they knew half the journey, so happy for you❤️"

The English duo were together on the Gunners' books from 2015 to 2021, where they shared the pitch as teammates 75 times across competitions for the youth and senior teams combined.

Willock, who joined Arsenal's youth academy in 2004, joined Newcastle United permanently in the summer of 2021 for a fee of £25 million. The two lined up as opponents in the goalless draw between Arsenal and Newcastle earlier this month.

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Arsenal boss pleased with Eddie Nketiah's 'incredible' form after Manchester United win

Manager Mikel Arteta was understandably pleased with Eddie Nketiah's performance against Manchester United.

Speaking after the game, the Spanish tactician told reporters (h/t official club website):

"What Eddie is doing is incredible. We cannot say that we saw that, we were hoping that he could do that because of the way he is, because of his mentality, because of his qualities and how those qualities fit within the team."

Nketiah joined the Gunners' academy in 2015 after spending seven years in west London with Chelsea. He made his senior debut in a 4-2 Europa League win away to BATE Borisov in September.

However, the 23-year-old has failed to impose himself on the first team. 52 of his 76 Premier League appearances have come from the bench.

He will hope his current form results in more opportunities in the starting XI even after Gabriel Jesus' return from injury.