Mikel Arteta has backed Kieran Tierney to eventually become Arsenal captain.
The Scotland international has been a revelation in north London since his move from Celtic in 2019 and impressed once again on Saturday during a 4-0 win at West Brom.
Tierney opened the scoring at the Hawthorns with a wonderful individual goal and has been a model of consistency this season while others have struggled around him.
Many believe he is the ideal candidate to one day take the armband at Arsenal and Arteta agrees that he has all the attributes to become skipper.
“I think he can be Arsenal captain as he has the respect and admiration of every member of the staff and every player,” said the Gunners’ boss. “It is just the way he is. He does it in a natural way.
“He is a really shy boy as well but he represents all of us in the club; all of the values that we want to instill and are in the DNA in this club.”
Tierney is a quiet figure off the pitch and has admitted he initially struggled to adjust to life in London after leaving boyhood club Celtic.
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But on the pitch he is as vocal as they come and has certainly led by example this season with his performances, as he continues to impress.
“Since the moment I joined the club I have seen a player with enormous talent with the perfect attitude and commitment," said Arteta.
“He is a joy to work with and I am so happy for him for the way he scored [against West Brom] and everything he has put in to be better every day towards the team, towards the club.
“He has had some issues to adapt. We tried to help him. It was a challenge for him to leave his house as we all tried to help him.”
Arteta added: “He is shy and so humble. He came here and it took him a while. He had a really bad injury and was away from home but he is a natural leader.
“You see how he behaves on the pitch and when he talks he says the right thing. And he is exactly what we are looking for and I am so happy to have him in the team.
“He can still improve but he is a real threat in attack and really solid in defence.”