Mesut Ozil believes Arsenal youngster Joe Willock can be a ‘big player’ for them this season.
The academy graduate, 19, impressed for the first-team when playing in cup competitions in 2018/19, scoring in the Europa League and FA Cup.
The midfielder also made his first start in the Gunners’ final Premier League game of the campaign where they ran out 3-1 winners at Burnley.
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Willock also gave a good account of himself during Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Bayern Munich earlier this week, with some fans even comparing him with Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta.
And Ozil suggested that Willock has what it takes to build on that performance and his ventures in the first-team last season.
In an interview with the club’s website, Ozil said: “He [Willock] knows what he can do, so he is not arrogant on the pitch but he believes in himself.
“Especially yesterday against Bayern Munich, against a big club, he shows his quality. We are happy to have him.
“He was strong last year as well. So of course, if you really work with the first team together always, you feel more comfortable and you believe in yourself more.
“I think this season, especially in the pre-season he shows his quality and I think he can help us this season.
“At the end of the day, those young players have quality. They show it every day in the training. If they stay healthy and believe in themselves, so I think he will be a big player.”
Willock’s exploits against Bayern also led to some Arsenal fans suggesting he could replace Aaron Ramsey, who left for Juventus this summer.
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He’ll have to compete with the likes of Lucas Torriera and Matteo Guendouzi for starting spots ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League season opener at Newcastle on August 11.
On Willock, Gunners boss Unai Emery said: “It’s all progress with him because last year he started with us in the pre-season.
“His performance today is very different to last year, maybe because he knows our idea and spirit better.
“He’s got a very big motivation and a very big ambition individually to make good performances, and he listens a lot to our idea. We are speaking a lot to him individually.
“I really, really think that he made one more step last year during the season and he finished it very well with us, playing 12 minutes in the [Europa League] final against Chelsea with a big performance.
“We now want him to take another step more in his capacity to be with us, with a big help in our performance and our idea.”