Striker Folarin Balogun made his debut for Arsenal in their Europa League win over Dundalk on Thursday night.
The youngster came off the bench to replace Eddie Nketiah in the 74th minute of the encounter and became the first member of Arsenal’s U23 squad to make his competitive debut under Mikel Arteta.
“Yeah, it feels great. It’s a moment I have been waiting for for a little while so to finally get it feels great. I can only thanks Mikel ad the staff for this opportunity and I look forward to doing it more often.
“It’s been tough, I’ve been at a few other clubs doing trials and stuff like that but I’ve been working my way through the academy and I think as time has gone on I’ve become a better player. I think that’s shown in my performances and I think it’s good now to get the recognition that my performances deserve.”
“Loads of emotions really. I knew that this was the moment I’d been waiting for but at the same time I knew there was a job that needed to be done. So I just tried to come on, make runs, be a nuisance and just help the team.”
Balogun is yet to commit to a new contract but the recent involvement with the first team can help resolve the negotiations quickly.