'What a player he is' - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain singles out 'really impressive' Arsenal star for special praise as free agent continues to train with former club

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been welcomed back into the Arsenal fold by manager Mikel Arteta, who he shared a pitch with 73 times during their spells as players with the Gunners. The 32-year-old is without a club after a two-season stint with Besiktas came to an end but is getting the opportunity to see how arguably England's best current team train while he searches for his next side as a free agent. That means regularly sharing a training pitch with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and William Saliba among others.

The former Southampton prodigy has got to train with some of the best players in the United Kingdom but, when asked by The Athletic who he had been most impressed by so far, the 35-time England international went for a left-field pick and chose Gabriel Jesus, who has been struggling over the past year or so with an anterior cruciate ligament, though he is now set to make his return to the pitch.

“What a player he is,” he says. “I’ve played against him many times, but just seeing how he trains, the way he works, how sharp his finishing is, he’s really impressive. 

“And I’ve been really impressed by the young guys, like Max (Dowman), Ethan (Nwaneri) and Myles (Lewis-Skelly). Ability-wise and the way they are as characters, it’s really impressive at such a young age.”

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Arteta has guided Arsenal through some difficult years to the point where they are genuine contenders for every competition they feature in, which wasn't the case when he succeeded Unai Emery in 2019.

Oxlade-Chamberlain added: “I wouldn’t say surprised, knowing the character he is and how much he helped me as a player. But to see it up close, the attention to detail and the way he delivers messages, it’s really impressive. 

“It’s that thing all the top modern-day managers have. He leaves no stone unturned. It’s the small details, but also the way he delivers the bigger ideas. And seeing the way it’s all put into place, the way they work on set pieces as well as general play, there’s something really strong going on down there. I’ve been really, really impressed — and I’ve had some top, top managers.”

While he will continue training with Arsenal in the short term, Oxlade-Chamberlain still has a desire to compete and will hope to find a new club over the coming months.

He added: "I want to play. I don’t feel old. I’m fit, and I’ve still got that hunger.”