Mikel Arteta has a Thierry Henry-like 'aura' that 'can't be taught', says his former Arsenal teammate
Mikel Arteta has a key managerial quality that cannot be taught.
That's according to the ex Arsenal player Carl Jenkinsonwho joined talkSPORT Drive in the studio on Wednesday.
Jenkinson, now 32 and a free agent after last playing for Newcastle Jets in the Australian A-League, played under Arteta during his time with the Gunners.
Arteta and Jenkinson joined Arsenal in 2011, with the former becoming Arsenal captain in 2014 until his retirement in 2016.
Asked if he saw Arteta as a manager in the future, Jenkinson said: “Yeah, Arteta has an aura that can't be manufactured, if you know what I mean.
“The way he talks and when he walks into the room and talks, he makes you listen.
“He obviously has the football knowledge, but that's something you can't teach.”
And according to Jenkinson, Arteta is in good company on his list of former teammates who possessed this quality.
He continued: “He had that aura. I haven’t met many people with that.”
“Thierry Henry would probably be the only one who would say it's similar.
“But Mikel had that. If he spoke, you listened.”
Arteta was part of the Gunners teams that won the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015 under Arsene Wenger.
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Jenkinson was also part of the 2014 winning team.
Having worked with Pep Guardiola in Manchester City Following his retirement, Arteta became Arsenal manager in 2019.
He has since led the Gunners to two title races, with his side finishing second in the Premier League in consecutive seasons.
Arteta also managed the team that won the FA Cup in 2020.
Meanwhile, Jenkinson left Arsenal in 2019 and signed for Nottingham Forest after loans with West Ham and Birmingham, before leaving for Australia in 2022.
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