Arsenal’s esteemed Hale End academy has churned out an abundance of top talent over the years, and the next gem to forge a path into the club’s first-team might be dynamic full-back Reuell Walters.

Walters has been impressing at youth level and has all the potential to continue his development with a breakthrough into manager Mikel Arteta’s selection plans over the next year, after signing his first professional contract with the Gunners last year.

The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster was one of the only academy prospects to earn a place in Arteta’s pre-season squad last summer, and impressed with a 20-minute cameo against Everton, swiftly asserting himself as one to watch as he continues his development over the next several seasons.

With high praise in his abilities already, indeed one journalist remarked that the 18-year-old Walters “shines every time” he takes to the pitch, the Gunners might just have their latest prodigy to follow in the footsteps of current first-team stars Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.

Arsenal reporter Kaya Kaynak also lauded the star for his efforts in pre-season, saying: “He really impressed over in Germany with his work rate and how he adapted to making his debut out of position.”

A dynamic defender, capable of flourishing as a full-back and in a central defensive role, Walters could emulate the success of current phenom Ben White, who has earned his place as a regular figure in the starting line-up for the Emirates high-fliers, who indeed top the Premier League table after 20 matches played.

White, signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for £50m in 2021, is typically a centre-back but has featured regularly down the right flank this term, earning an average Sofascore rating of 6.99 and a key component towards the finely poised balance of this excellent Arsenal outfit.

With Walters indeed displaying shades of his established positional peer both in his dynamic capabilities and robust work-rate, also included in the Guardian’s 2021 Next Generation list, the ace is clearly one to watch with mounting steam behind his continuing rise.

And while the 25-year-old White is unlikely to be moving from his deployment in the team any time soon, this shouldn’t actually be a hindrance to Walters’ progress, with the opportunity to serve a utility role and blossom into his own actually a sterling route to prolonged success in north London.

Walters has thus far shown that he can walk the walk to match the talk, and with such lavish praise over his skills at such an early stage in his career, Arsenal might indeed have their shining light down the right flank for years to come, maintaining a prosperous emphasis on giving the youth a chance.