‘Woah’: Arsenal’s £25m man amazed by teenager in training

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Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney has admitted to the Keeping he Ball on the Ground podcast that his first training session with the Gunners was ‘mental’.

Tierney signed for Arsenal from Celtic for £25 million (BBC Sport), and he was given a rude awakening on his first session at the North London club.

Tierney was tasked with facing up against fellow new signing Gabriel Martinelli, and he was quickly aware of just how good the Brazilian teenager was.

“Aye, it was mental,” Tierney said, when asked about his first Arsenal training.

“So one of the first possession drills I was like ‘I am miles off this. Even pressing’s not working for me today’.”

“For me, going into the first couple of training sessions it was the tempo. Honestly, the first session, I was against (Gabriel) Martinelli. Young boy, I knew he was good.

“I was like ‘Woah, this is the standard man. He is unbelievable’. Even running back, I would be running back and he would be following me. The effort and attitude was unreal.

“Probably the biggest thing is the technique. I’ve not been gifted with that. All the young boys are unbelievable.

“Saka and Joe Willock, their technique is incredible man.”

Martinelli has gone on to have an excellent first season at Arsenal, so Tierney’s struggles against him are understandable.

The Scottish full-back has certainly acclimatised to life at Arsenal now, after a rather slow start.

Tierney really showed his worth towards the back end of the campaign, and is now a key part of Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up.

Tierney is regarded as being among the best left-backs in the Premier League, and his wholehearted performances have earned widespread praise from Arsenal fans.