Former Arsenal academy player Isaac Hayden has revealed that Arsene Wenger wasn’t the most approachable person at the club during his time in North London.
The 22-year-old midfielder is currently playing for Newcastle and had a crucial role in helping the Magpies achieve automatic promotion during his first full season with the club.
Newcastle signed the midfielder from Arsenal in the 2016 summer transfer window following a successful loan spell at Hull City the previous campaign.
Hayden managed just two first team appearances for the Gunners before being sold and is now carving out a career at St James’ Park.
Speaking in an interview with the Times, Hayden revealed that the Arsenal boss didn’t have the best rapport with the younger players when talking about how Wenger dealt with him following an injury.
“When I first got injured Wenger said ‘that’s a shame’, then I didn’t speak to him until I was outside running,” he said. “Wenger’s detached, quite closed. When you’re a young player, not constantly in his eye-line, he can be quite cold. He watches training, doesn’t say much, maybe three, four words in the whole session.
“Deep down, I said to myself, I knew I was good enough to play for them. I wasn’t given the opportunity.”
Hayden will surely be given the opportunity to prove his former manager wrong next season when both sides face each other in the Premier League.
The central midfielder became an integral part of Rafael Benitez’s starting line-up and will be keen to emulate his Championship form in the top flight.
Arsenal fans may be shocked at Hayden’s revelation about their boss as he has historically been renowned for promoting youth players into the senior squad.