Former Arsenal midfielder, Emmanuel Frimpong has revealed that it was obvious Mikel Arteta would become a manager when they were teammates at Arsenal.
The Spaniard was made the Gunners’ manager in 2019, three years after he left the Emirates and retired from playing.
He was an Arsenal player from 2011 to 2016 and captained the club towards the end of his playing days.
Frimpong broke through at the Emirates around the time Arteta joined the team and they spent some seasons as teammates in the Gunners’ dressing room.
The Ghanaian has now revealed that Arteta carried himself in a way that clearly showed he would become a manager in the future.
He tells Daily Star Sports: “No surprise, he was the type of person that I knew would be manager one day as he never stopped, never stopped learning. I remember we used to call him ‘Wenger’s son’ because every time we would go out on the training ground he would be there with Wenger talking.
“He was always asking him questions and he was someone that wasn’t afraid to ask and learn. It’s no surprise that he has become a manager to be honest.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Arteta also learned the job from Pep Guardiola when he was Manchester City’s assistant manager and this prepared him to manage Arsenal.
He is now leading the club back to the Champions League, despite having arguably the weakest squad among the clubs vying for the top four places.
VIDEO – Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s fantastic win at Chelsea…