Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri has been found wanting during his earliest days in a Borussia Dortmund kit, and the teenager's struggles continued at home to Union Berlin on Saturday.

Nwaneri has quickly earned the trust of BVB boss Niko Kovac and made his fourth straight Bundesliga start on October 17, but a familiar trend followed for the Hale End graduate, who failed to score or assist for the fourth game running and was hooked early.

Nwaneri briefly thought he had been sent off inside the first minute when referee Daniel Schlager pulled out the red card for a late tackle, but the official had brandished the wrong card and quickly corrected the playmaker's caution to a booking.

However, Nwaneri could not kick on after that reprieve, as he failed to create a single chance, won just four of his 11 duels, and was substituted in the 62nd minute of Dortmund's 0-0 draw.

The 19-year-old has failed to complete over 65 minutes of a single Bundesliga game this season, and the German media were unsurprisingly less than complimentary about his overall performance.

Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri struggles to impress German media in Borussia Dortmund draw

Es cierto que el fútbol que propone Kovac no le ayuda, pero lo de hoy de Ethan Nwaneri vuelve a ser otro día más en que es incapaz de ser diferencial en ataque. A los 15 segundos casi se va expulsado, apenas 1 regate completado y 1 duelo (en el suelo) ganado. Debe dar más… https://t.co/br6KCS0a1u

— Andrés Weiss (@andresweiss_) October 17, 2026

In their player ratings after the game, Ruhr Nachrichten awarded Nwaneri just 5/10, claiming that the Arsenal-owned attacker was "no help" and made too many wrong decisions during the stalemate

Ruhr 24 made a similar assessment, as while they praised Nwaneri for 'trying hard' in attack, they also questioned his decision-making and affirmed that he is "not an asset" to the team in his current form.

BVBWild - who grade their players from one downwards in terms of performance - gave Nwaneri a 4.5, again highlighting his efforts but admitting that he struggled to pick the Union Berlin defensive lock.

Ran, meanwhile, were harsher on the Premier League's youngest-ever player, downgrading his rating to a 5 owing to a "mostly negative" performance characterised by "poor ball control" and "inaccurate finishing".

However, Goal claimed that Nwaneri was Dortmund's most dangerous player during his 60 minutes on the field, but he was nevertheless "largely anonymous" during his time on the pitch.

Nwaneri's latest ineffective performance means that the teenager is sitting on a measly record of one assist and zero goals from his seven matches in a Borussia Dortmund shirt across all competitions.

That helper came in his Bundesliga debut in a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim on September 5, when he replaced the injured Filippo Mane in the first half, and he has since held his place in the starting XI in the top flight.

Nwaneri has failed to start a Champions League game for Kovac's side this term, though, and as things stand, he will be returning to Arsenal at the end of the season as Dortmund do not possess an option or obligation to make his stay permanent.

Does Ethan Nwaneri have a future at Arsenal?

Nwaneri's Arsenal contract runs until the summer of 2030, but with Martin Odegaard back in form, Eberechi Eze providing cover and Max Dowman also expected to compete for minutes as a number 10, it is difficult to see a pathway for the former when it comes to regular first-team football.

Nwaneri initially blossomed as a right-winger in 2024-25 during Bukayo Saka's injury troubles, before Arsenal decided that his future lied in a central attacking role, although that call has since had a negative impact on his development.

If Noni Madueke is still struggling for output heading into the summer, and Nwaneri is open to another positional change, the 19-year-old has the tools to both cover for and compete with Bukayo Saka for right-wing minutes instead.