It’s not easy to tell which players will make it as managers at the top level, but for Carl Jenkinson, Mikel Arteta always had the traits to make it as an Arsenal head coach.
The Spaniard had a good playing career, featuring for the likes of PSG, Rangers, Everton and the Gunners in his time.
Arteta won seven trophies before hanging up his boots at the Emirates Stadium, perhaps going under the radar with some performances.
After leaving his playing days behind, coaching was the next natural call as he joined up with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
From there, Arteta became the successor to Unai Emery at Arsenal and has since masterminded a return to the top of the Premier League.
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Carl Jenkinson explains Mikel Arteta’s management traits
A few ex-Arsenal players have already described how Arteta displayed some signs of becoming the coach he is today.
Former right-back Carl Jenkinson is the latest to join in on that conversation as he spoke about playing with the manager at the time.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, he said: “Arteta just had an aura that you sort of can’t manufacture, if you know what I mean?
“It’s just the way he speaks and when he walks in the room and talks, you listen.
“Not many people, and he has the football knowledge to go along with it, but that [aura] is something you can’t even teach.
“He had that aura and I haven’t met that many people with that. Thierry Henry would probably be the other one that was similar, but Mikel just had that.”
It’s certainly high praise from a former player who has been held in high regard from Arsenal fans, while any comparison to Thierry Henry is almost certainly a good one.
Could Martin Odegaard be a future Arsenal manager?
With Arteta moving from playing at Arsenal to managing the club, there are questions over which current squad members could do similar one day.
At the top of the list would likely be Martin Odegaard, given his leadership, tactical knowledge, and impact on the club.
The Norway international was one of the first signings that showed the Gunners were on their way back to the top.
He has experienced it all, from being a wonderkid at a top club to having to rebuild his status and settling elsewhere.
That would likely help in his ability to coach those going through the same pathway, while his captaincy for club and country would certainly help too.
It remains to be seen whether Odegaard would take that step into coaching, but it would be intriguing to see if he could follow the same path as Arteta.
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