Monreal hails ´mature and confident´ Belllerin

Hector Bellerin “plays like a guy who is 30”, according to fellow Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal.

Bellerin has become Arsenal’s first-choice right-back over the past 12 months, usurping France international Mathieu Debuchy.

And Monreal has hailed the youngster’s mature and confident approach.

“He’s a young player, only 20 years old, but he plays like a guy who is 30. He’s very mature and he plays with a lot of confidence,” Monreal told the official Arsenal website.

“He trusts in himself and that’s very good for us. Since he’s started to play the level of the team is improving so we are very proud of him. When I was 20 like him, I was scared every time I had to play at the beginning, but he’s not. That’s the secret for him, that he’s so confident in himself. 

“He knows what he has to do, he goes on to the pitch and he does it. It looks easy but it’s not easy. He’s only 20, he has a long way to go, he has to play more games but obviously everything he has done is brilliant. He just needs to keep going in the same way.”

Bellerin has represented Spain at Under-21 level, but Monreal believes it is a matter of time before he takes the step up to the senior side.

“I’m 100 per cent sure he will play for the Spanish national team. I don’t know when as that’s the question,” he added.

“At this moment there are another two right backs like Juanfran and Dani Carvajal. Hector is still playing for the under-21s but if he carries on, he will play with the senior team 100 per cent.”