Bacary Sagna’s long-term injury has seen the youngster creep into Arsene Wenger’s first team plans. Impressively, at just 20-years-old, he’s looked the part.
This is an extremely dynamic Arsenal side, who move the ball about with pace, and Jenkinson is more than capable of contributing.
Bacary Sagna is one of the Premier League’s most consistent players and young Jenkinson shares many of his attributes.
He looks like an astute defender, with pace and a decent reading of the game (just look how well he marshaled Scott Sinclair when Arsenal and Manchester City squared off last weekend). He can put in a telling tackle and he doesn’t seem to get caught out as much as Kieran Gibbs does down the left (which, admittedly, is a fair amount). The signs are good.
But, it’s in attack that he really excels. He has a surprising turn of pace (again, the way he was pulling away from City’s full-backs towards the end of the game was a sight to behold) and a nice cross (I’ll refer to his ball in for Gervinho against Montpellier for this one).
Suffice to say, the kids got some talent. And he’s a genuine, bonafide Arsenal fan too. This combination is sure to make him a fast fan favourite. But are we in danger of getting a little carried away when it comes to Carl Jenkinson?
For instance, there’s been a fair amount of talk about him getting a call-up to the England set-up. Isn’t it too much too soon?
Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker are Roy Hodgson’s first choice right-back options, but Johnson is suspended and Hodgson may fancy giving the Arsenal youngster a shot.
My worry is that he’ll get a taste for regular football and then grow unhappy once Bacary Sagna reclaims his place. There’s a danger at exposing him to too much football when he’s not the Gunner’s first choice. At the moment, his expectations need to managed. In all likelihood, despite Jenkinson’s achievements, Sagna will walk straight back into this Arsenal side.
Time will tell just how well Jenkinson will take it. He’s come a long way over the last couple of seasons. But for now, maybe the best thing for him would be to learn from the master of consistency himself, Barcary Sagna.
What’s your take? Is it too much, too soon for Carl Jenkinson?
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