Arsenal picked up their first win since Mikel Arteta took charge last night.
Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners over Manchester United, with Kolasinac restored to their starting line-up.
The left-back replaced Bukayo Saka in Arsenal’s starting line-up, but he only found out he would be starting at the last minute.
Saka came down with an illness, so Kolasinac stepped up.
And Arteta revealed: “I said to him, ‘thank you so much’ because today we had Bukayo who wasn’t feeling good.
“He wasn’t ready to play, Kola. He was expecting to start maybe against Leeds or after Leeds and he made an incredible effort.
“He came to me yesterday and said, ‘boss, if you want me to play, I can play’. We decided to play him and that’s the attitude of the players that I want and he got rewarded.
“He made an effort, he put himself on the line and he had a great performance.”
Kolasinac has now given Arteta food for thought in the race to earn a spot at left-back for Arsenal.
Saka is more comfortable in an advanced position, so Kolasinac could actually have a chance of starting more regularly in the coming weeks.
Arteta hinted at the fact that Kolasinac could start against Leeds in the FA Cup, but whether he will now be rested at the weekend remains to be seen.
Arsenal are expected to make numerous changes for the cup game, when they are likely to hand chances to a number of fringe players.
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