'He was quality' – Arsenal fans told they have a gem on their hands in brilliant young midfielder

07/25/2024 10:54 AM

Arsenal may have been held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in their pre-season friendly, but Gunners legend Perry Groves believes there was one player who stole the show.

While Mikel Arteta‘s side did emerge victorious in a penalty shootout, they could not find a winner in normal time.

The teams went head-to-head in Los Angeles as Arsenal contested the first game on their USA pre-season tour.

Arsenal had taken the lead in the 18th minute thanks a Fabio Vieira volley, but the Cherries eventually equalised in the 72nd minute when Antoine Semenyo’s strike deflected into the back of the net.

Arsenal will play two more games on their US tour, and they will next face Man United on July 27 and then Liverpool on July 31.

And Arteta will likely have identified many areas for improvement after the game.

But ex-winger Groves’ attention was caught by Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, the 20-year-old midfielder.

“Arsenal played well in the first half,” he told talkSPORT. “When you’re watching these pre-season games you know you’re going to get some younger players in the squad because of the Euros, people are resting.

“And there was a lad last night, Salah-Eddine, who played for Arsenal in midfield just in front of Thomas Partey.

“And I know he only played 45 minutes. But he was quality.

“You think right, Arteta’s looking at these younger players to think right: can you make that step up? How are you going to be? Are you going to be nervous? Are you going to go and accept the ball in tight areas?

“Brilliant balance. Brilliant passing. And he came off after 45 minutes.”

The Dutch-born star began as a product of Feyenoord’s youth system, before joining Arsenal’s academy in 2020.

He has since spent a season on-loan to Hull City and a season on-loan at Den Bosch in his latest Netherlands.

And clearly football skill runs in the family as his younger brother, Ismail, also plays alongside him at Arsenal, having also joined from Feyenoord in 2021.

Arsenal have less than a month to wait until their first game of the new Premier League season.

They will host Wolves at the Emirates on August 17.

Ahead of the Bournemouth fixture Arteta explained why the pre-season tour would prove so vital for their preparation.

He said: “They're really good because we're going to play on three different surfaces, three different stadiums, and different weather conditions. The travelling is different and different opposition, so great it's preparation for us.”

The 42-year-old believed his team had a lot to learn from the fixtures and said he was expecting his side to keep their standards high at all times.

“Physically, there are huge improvements to make and team cohesion is the same,” he added. “Also, evolving in our culture, and earning the right to win games and playing better each time.

“The opposition are going be really tough and the goal is to win the games.”