Mikel Arteta has been described as a “leader” through his former Arsenal teammate and Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry.
The 28-year-old German foreigner made 18 appearances for Arsenal’s first team between 2012 and 2015, with Arteta as assistant captain and then team captain at the helm.
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Gnabry has explained how the former midfielder helped him and other young players early in their Arsenal careers before Bayern faced Arteta’s side in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
“Now he’s absorbed in his role as a coach and thinks very strategically,” Gnabry said of Arteta in an interview with Bayern Munich’s website.
“In my time I was already an experienced player. He was the captain, a leader who talked to everyone and communicated a lot.
“He was very helpful to us as young players at the time. He strengthened us, gave us smart advice, tried to advise us to stay focused and give it our all.
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Gnabry made three appearances for West Bromwich Albion on loan in the 2015–16 season, before joining Werder Bremen permanently the following season and scoring 11 goals.
After a season on loan at Hoffenheim, he joined Bayern in 2018, scored goals for the club and helped them win the Champions League in 2020.
This year he has endured an injury-plagued crusade, limiting himself to just 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing one assist.
Arteta retired in 2016 as an assistant manager at Manchester City, a position he held until his appointment as Arsenal manager in December 2019.
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