Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has sent a message to Miguel Azeez after the Hale End graduate scored the first goal of his senior career on Tuesday night.
Azeez was sent out on loan to League One side Portsmouth during the summer transfer window but concerns had mounted about the lack of game time he had been receiving under Danny Cowley.
At the time of writing, the 19-year-old midfielder had played just twice in the third tier, with just one start to his name, and football.london understood that Mikel Arteta was considering the transfer decision of recalling him during January.
Earlier in the season, Pompey manager Cowley admitted that Azeez had been unlucky to have arrived on the south coast with the club in such a slump of form.
“It’s unfortunate for Miguel,” he said in October.
“We lost Clark (Robertson) who is that left-footed centre-half that can play into the left-half space which Miguel likes to play in and we’re not in a good moment.
“He’s only 19, we are trying to set a young player up for success and we are not in a good enough moment to bring him into the team.
“He’s a young player finding his way in the game, so it’s your job as a manager to set him up to have success.
“The team are playing with no rhythm and no control – and he’s a player that needs rhythm and control.”
However, his career may have received a shot in the arm in midweek when he bagged his first goal for the club in a Papa John’s Trophy clash with Crystal Palace’s under-23’s.
He also contributed an assist and took to social media, writing: “Win, goal, assist last night” alongside a photo of himself and Gassan Ahadme copying the handshake celebration employed by Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Frenchman was quick to reply, sending three love-heart eye emojis in the comments, something that Azeez will no doubt have loved.
Lacazette’s own future remains uncertain. Despite a recent run of good form, it still remains likely that he will leave the Gunners by next summer at the latest.
The striker’s contract is due to expire and Arteta is said to be eager to continue his revamp of the Arsenal squad.