Arsenal club captain Mikel Arteta’s latest step on his road to recovery from injury saw him feature in the under-21 side’s 3-2 victory against Blackburn Rovers at London Colney on Tuesday.
The club’s under-21 manager Steve Gatting said that having the Spaniard available to play for his side was a huge plus point as the youngsters could learn from him.
The 33-year-old, who turned professional over 15 years ago, played 45 minutes in the game against Blackburn and Gatting told reports after the game that he was impressed with how his side played.
Obviously it helps with Mikel playing with his experience. We started off well and passed the ball ever so well – for the first hour I thought we were excellent.
Gatting also spoke of the influence that the former Rangers and Everton man had on the game, and he was quick to point out how Arteta looked to help the youngsters at every opportunity.
Mikel was talking the lads through the game. He is very experienced on the ball and knows when to pass it and where to pass it. He is always available for the ball and hardly every gives it away.
Arteta hasn’t been available since he injured his calf at West Brom in November, and with Francis Coquelin still out, Arsenal will be keen to get the Spaniard back fully fit and ready to play.
Comments.
Loading comments…