Rob Holding has hailed his new defensive partner Per Mertesacker after the duo helped Arsenal win the FA Cup on Saturday against Chelsea.
The 21-year-old ace, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from Bolton last summer, was instrumental in Arsene Wenger’s side beating the Premier League champions at Wembley.
The duo played in a back three and were key to ensuring the threat from the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Diego Costa was minimal throughout the game.
More remarkably, it was the first game Mertesacker had started all season because of injury and the first time the two defenders had played alongside each other.
Nonetheless, when delivering his verdict on his teammate, Holding was grateful for the manner in which the German helped him settle in.
“It’s the first time Per and I have played with each other apart from in training. A guy like Per has won the World Cup so he’s going to make it comfortable for me as well. He’s a quality player,” said Holding, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
After struggling to earn regular game time in the Premier League, Wenger opted to use Holding towards the back end of the season when Arsenal’s campaign began to falter even further.
The highly-rated youngster played in his side’s last five league matches, helping them record five wins and secure three clean sheets in the process.
Despite his own success, his team failed to qualify for the Champions League, the first time they have failed to secure a top-four spot during Wenger’s tenure.
Nonetheless, with Europa League on the horizon for next season, Holding will be hoping to help his side produce better performances and mount a serious title challenge.