Arsenal loanee Tim Akinola voted man of the match on his full Chesterfield debut

NIGERIAN-born Arsenal loanee Tim Akinola was voted man of the match in his full National League debut on Saturday when he featured for Chesterfield in a league game against Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium.

Akinola, 21, got promoted to the Arsenal first team last season by manager Mikel Arteta, who was looking to boost his flagging squad. However, Akinola has not had the playing time he had hoped for at the Emirates, so was sent out on loan in January to Dundee United and this season, he has been sent to Chesterfield.

Over the weekend, he was recognised for his impressive performance during the match against Eastleigh. On his full National League debut, the Arsenal loanee was the standout player as Chesterfield almost earned a share of the spoils but conceded in the second minute of stoppage time when Brennan Camp headed home from a corner.

According to Chesterfield's official Twitter account, midfielder Akinola was awarded the man of the match award by co-commentator Josh Marsh. Akinola, who has appeared in four league matches for Chesterfield since his arrival at the club on deadline day, was reported to have won the ball on several occasions and sprayed passes to his teammates when he had possession on Saturday.

Born in Lokoja, Nigeria, Akinola played youth football with Lincoln City and Huddersfield Town before signing for Arsenal in the summer of 2020. He returned to Arsenal in March 2022 due to injury and has since undergone surgery.