Arsenal academy graduate Yunus Musah has opened up about his time at Hale End early in his career.
Many stars have spread their wings from the comforts of Hale End, whether it be to continue their careers in North London or to endeavour on new challenges.
One player who rose from Arsenal’s academy is Yunus Musah, who was signed by AC Milan last summer after four years at Valencia.
Musah left Hale End in 2019 to join the Spanish side’s academy, where he then paved his way into the first team at the Mestalla.
Yunus Musah praises Arsenal academy’s impact on his career
Musah was a member of Arsenal’s academy alongside Bukayo Saka, who sealed his senior breakthrough the season after Musah left for Spain.
The versatile attacker has certainly taken his chances after leaving Hale End, now representing AC Milan, whom he racked up 40 appearances for last term in all competitions.
Musah is impressing now in Milan however, like every player, his story started way before the spotlights of playing in the top tiers of European football.
Speaking to Rising Ballers, the United States international explained the ‘massive impact’ that his time at Arsenal had on his career.
“Massive impact. I spent a lot of years there, I met a lot friends there, a lot of coaches that I’m still in contact with because they were so influential in my development.”
The midfielder reserved high praise for what was going on at Hale End at the time, claiming that the Gunners’ set-up and coaching methods were ahead of their time.
“Arsenal really taugh me alot, they were ahead of time I think,” Musah said before giving three reasons why he progressed so much in North London.
“We did a lot of individual sessions, not just team sessions, one-to-ones, a lot of days practicing by myself as well.
“We were allowed to just train and work hard when we wanted, there was a lot of video analysis, looking at details of your game. Just some really top coaches that helped me improve over all those years.”
Mikel Arteta is ready to unlock the next wave of talent at Hale End
While Musah found great success by leaving Arsenal, there is a lot of excitement being generated by the next crop of talent set to emerge from Hale End.
The figure that is undoubtedly generating the most noise is 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who is a talent Mikel Arteta has shown he has huge trust in.
Already this season, the teenager has been named in the squad for every Premier League game, as well as making two league appearances and securing his full senior debut in the EFL Cup.
Nwaneri is next in line, but he’s not the only one making waves behind the scenes, with Myles Lewis-Skelly also featuring in the Premier League this season.
It’s set to be an exciting campaign for those at Hale End, as Arteta moves closer to promoting prospects for the years ahead at Arsenal.
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