Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is delighted with the attitude of youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Wenger admits he will not rush the promising midfielder in to regular first-team action at Arsenal but he believes Oxlade-Chamberlain’s positive approach to football allows him to deal with the huge pressure of being a professional footballer.
“That is one of his strengths,” Wenger told Arsenal Player.
“Alex has talent mixed with a relaxed, positive attitude. I like that in him, he is a positive boy and I think he will be loved by people because he has that up-front attitude. That shows that he deals well with the pressure.
“I am not surprised how well he has done because I had very good reports about him at Southampton so I expected him to adapt quickly. He is now getting to a level where we want him to be and he has an opportunity now to show again that he wants to compete for a place as a regular starter.
“He needs to add urgency to his game in the final third, on the defensive side and winning the duels against men. The Premier League becomes tougher, you have seen that again against Stoke. You need that capability to go from youth-team football or lower-level football to be a top-level athlete in the Premier League.”
The former Southampton prospect moved to north London in the summer for a fee thought to be around £15million and has already scored 2 goals for Arsenal, including a strike in the Champions League against Olympiakos.
