Bellerin: I did not know how to defend until I joined Arsenal

Hector Bellerin has admitted he had very little to offer defensively when he joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2011 and has hailed assistant manager Steve Bould’s role in his development.

The 20-year-old has become Arsenal’s first-choice right back this season and he feels he would not be where he is now if it were not for Bould’s guidance.

“When I first came to Arsenal, I didn’t know how to defend,” Bellerin was quoted as saying by The Sun. 

“If there was a person who I had to identify as helping me a lot, that would have to be Bould. I was a winger but from the Under-18s up, I remember him just showing me the basics.

“Even then, I remember him sometimes holding his head like, ‘What is Hector doing?’. He’s been one of the key people in my career. He’s one of the reasons I’m here now.

“Steve was a top defender himself and has so much knowledge. Sometimes when he’s speaking, I just laugh because he makes it look so easy and so obvious, and you haven’t realised before. I really enjoy learning with him.”