Rotherham United manager Alan Stubbs worked with Arsenal summer signing Shkodran Mustafi at Everton.
Former Everton attacking midfielder Jose Baxter has explained to ITV News how current Rotherham United manager Alan Stubbs helped improve Arsenal summer signing Shkodran Mustafi.
Mustafi joined Premier League giants Arsenal from Spanish club Valencia in the summer transfer window.
According to The Daily Mail, the Gunners had to pay Valencia £35 million as transfer fee in order to secure the services of the 24-year-old central defender.
The Germany international has experience of English football, having been on the books of Everton from 2009 until 2012.
During his time at the Toffees, Mustafi failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League and subsequently left for Italian club Sampdoria in 2012.
Baxter was on the books of Everton from 1998 until 2012, and the 24-year-old former Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United attacking midfielder has outlined the importance of Stubbs in the development of his former teammates Mustafi.
Stubbs, now in charge of Championship club Rotherham United, worked with the defender at Everton as the reserve team boss.
“As soon as he came in you could tell he was talented,” Baxter told ITV News about Mustafi. “He wasn’t the biggest but he could definitely play.
“Alan Stubbs was the manager [of the reserves] at the time, who was a defender himself, and he taught him about the basics of defending, heading and kicking.
“He was more of a get down on his chest and play sort of defender, because he can really play.
“He was always the one that was working hard in training. He would practice free-kicks and penalties afterwards because he was that good technically.”
Arsenal will return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in North London in the Premier League.
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