Mikel Arteta pulls £51m Arsenal player aside for a private conversation after training finishes

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After a closely fought opening day victory for Arsenal in the Premier League, attention is quickly shifting to their tough run ahead.

Mikel Arteta watched on as his players were far from their best, but still managed to earn all three points as Arsenal beat Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori header from close range.

It got the Gunners’ campaign up and running, but tougher challenges await as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle are all around the corner.

Before the first home game back at the Emirates Stadium this season, the Gunners held an open training session for fans to attend.

While there, some spotted an interesting moment between the Arsenal head coach and one of his players.

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Mikel Arteta spotted giving tactical instructions to Martin Zubimendi during Arsenal training session

Martin Zubimendi joined Arsenal for £51 million this summer in a deal with Real Sociedad that had been touted for quite some time.

The Spanish midfielder has joined to fit a specific role for Arteta, becoming the controller at the base of the central ranks, setting the tempo with the ball.

There have been some questions about how well he can adapt to the Premier League, with fans left mixed over Zubimendi’s debut against Manchester United.

There will be some hope that the 26-year-old can assert himself more in his home Arsenal debut against Leeds over the weekend.

In preparation for that, Arteta was spotted giving Zubimendi some in-depth tactical instruction after the training session in front of the spectators.

It perhaps shows the level of detail that the manager is looking to go into with his new signing, and just how important the role is that he will play.

That wasn’t the only interesting thing spotted with Zubimendi during the training session, though.

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Martin Zubimendi’s unique role in Arsenal training

Not only was Zubimendi receiving detailed instructions from Arteta, but he was playing an important role in the training session.

A mini game between two teams, some wearing bibs and others without them, featured some important teambuilding as the side prepare for the Leeds clash.

While there were set teams, Zubimendi was actually the only player constantly changing sides, featuring for whichever team was in possession.

The midfielder, as a result, was focused on the quick build-up play he had to manage, while he was constantly under pressure with the ball.

It shows how Arteta is looking to get his marquee signing in the mindset for playing in that pivotal role in midfield.