Rangers take on Arsenal at Ibrox this afternoon as the Light Blues mark the start of their 150th anniversary season and ex-Ibrox skipper Barry Ferguson has opened up on working alongside Gunners boss Mikel Arteta in Govan.
Arteta joined the Gers from Barcelona, playing alongside Ferguson as the Ibrox side lifted their 50th Scottish Premiership title, having come up against them the previous season while on loan at Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite only playing together for a season, Ferguson knew the Spaniard was a “real player” and thinks his time at Rangers helped prepare him for his eventual move to England with Everton then Arsenal.
While Fergie confesses he was never “boozing buddies” with Arteta, he’s delighted to have watched his career progress before moving into coaching, first under Pep Guardiola at Man City before taking the reins at the Emirates.
“He was a quiet young guy,” Ferguson told the Daily Record. “But he had a self-confidence about him – an arrogance – which I always love to see in any young player.
“I knew right away that we had a real player on our hands with this guy. I had actually played against the previous season when he was on loan at PSG from Barcelona. So I had a fair idea how good he was in terms of his ability as a technician.
“I think he would admit himself that a couple of seasons in Scottish football helped him to add more physicality to his game and it stood him in good stead for what he went on to achieve in England at Everton and Arsenal.
“I was always delighted for him. We may never have been boozing buddies but he was one of my soldiers and I always love to see guys that were in that dressing room go on to carve out great careers in the game.”
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