'He had quality': Arsenal fans say they have a gem on their hands in a brilliant young midfielder

Arsenal may have drawn 1-1 with Bournemouth in their pre-season friendly, but Gunners legend Perry Groves believes there was one player who stole the show.

While Mikel ArtetaThe Moscow team emerged victorious in the penalty shoot-out, but could not find a winner in regular time.

The teams met in Los Angeles as Arsenal played the first match of its preseason tour of the United States.

Arsenal took the lead in the 18th minute thanks to a volley from Fabio Vieira, but the cherries The match was eventually equalised in the 72nd minute when Antoine Semenyo's shot deflected into the back of the net.

Arsenal will play two more games on their tour of the United States, with the next one being against… Man United July 27th and then Liverpool July 31st.

And Arteta will likely have identified plenty of areas for improvement after the game.

But former winger Groves' attention was caught by 20-year-old midfielder Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand.

“Arsenal played well in the first half,” he told talkSPORT. “When you watch these pre-season games you know you're going to have some younger players in the squad because of the Euros, people are getting a rest.”

“And last night there was a lad, Salah-Eddine, who played for Arsenal in midfield just ahead of Thomas Partey.

“And I know he only played 45 minutes. But he had quality.

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“You think carefully, Arteta is looking at these younger players to think carefully: can you take that step forward? How are you going to be? Are you going to be nervous? Are you going to get out and accept the ball in tight areas?

“Brilliant balance. Brilliant passing. And he left after 45 minutes.”

The Dutch-born star started out as a product of Feyenoord's youth system, before joining Arsenal's academy in 2020.

Since then, he spent a season on loan at Hull City and another season on loan at Den Bosch in his final spell in Holland.

And it's clear that footballing ability runs through his veins, with his younger brother Ismail also playing alongside him at Arsenal, having also joined from Feyenoord in 2021.

Arsenal have less than a month to wait until their first game of the new season. Premier league season.

They will host Wolves at the Emirates on August 17.

Ahead of the Bournemouth game, Arteta explained why the pre-season tour would prove so vital to their preparation.

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He said: “They are really good because we are going to play on three different surfaces, three different stadiums and different weather conditions. The trip is different and the opponents are different, so it is excellent preparation for us.”

The 42-year-old felt his side had a lot to learn from these matches and said he expected his team to maintain their high standards throughout.

“Physically there are many improvements to be made and the team's cohesion is the same,” he added. “Also, we need to evolve in our culture and earn the right to win games and play better and better.”

“The rival is going to be very tough and the objective is to win the matches.”