Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe for stepping up to the plate with his all-round displays for the in-form Premier League side.
Arteta singled out Pepe for the praise after the winger scored an equaliser for Arsenal in the 82nd minute of the game they eventually won 2-1 against Wolves on Thursday evening.
“I told you last week, I see a different Nico,” the manager told Arsenal website.
“I don’t know, it’s his energy, his happiness, his all-round play, how he’s training, I was convinced that he could come in and do something for the team.”
He added:“He’s on the right path and when you’re able to do that and contribute to the team, you’re going to get more minutes. The more minutes you have, you need to make the most out of them in training every single day and show what you can do. He has the ability to do it, that’s for sure.”
The Ivorian canceled out Hwanga Hee-Chan’s 10th minute strike for the visitors before Jose Sa’s own goal in added time sealed the win for the Gunners.
The winger has scored once in 11 games, six of which as a substitute, for the Gunners this season.
Pepe was part of the Ivory Coast side that participated in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The win moved the fifth-placed Arsenal moved to within a point of fourth-positioned Manchester United who have played two games more than the Gunners.