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‘It’s strength’: 19-year-old youngster says Arsenal’s £24m man is always ‘crunching’ people in training
Arsenal youngster Mika Biereth has shared what it’s like playing against a defender as strong as Gabriel Magalhaes.
The 19-year-old joined Arsenal from Fulham last year. It’s a completely different level in North London, especially when Mikel Arteta calls him up to train with the Gunners’ first team.
Biereth is yet to make his senior debut for Arsenal but he has been involved in plenty of training sessions with the big boys. He has come up against almost every first-team defender, but one of them has really caught his eye.
Gabriel Magalhaes, or ‘Big Gabi’ as Biereth likes to call him, is one of the strongest players at Arsenal and potentially even in the Premier League.
Mika Biereth shares experience of facing Gabriel Magalhaes in Arsenal training
In an interview with this week, Biereth was quizzed about the difference between playing for Fulham’s youth side and coming face to face with Arsenal’s stars.
He said: “I was with them for one of the first sessions and I was pinning ‘Big Gabi’.
“I’d been pinning 18-year-olds at Fulham, which wasn’t that hard and then I came to ‘Big Gabi’ who’s crunching from behind, so it’s completely different.
“It’s strength, but technique as well. It’s just about being a person to bounce off and advance up the pitch.”
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Arsenal fans already know how good Gabriel is, but Biereth is one young player every Gooner should keep an eye on.
The Dane, still only 19 years old, has been brilliant for Arsenal’s youth setup.
He has scored 11 goals and has provided five assists in 23 starts for the U23s this season, which is a stunning return considering this is his first season at the club.
Everybody who follows Arsenal’s academy is convinced that Biereth has a bright future ahead of him and it’s only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity at the top level.
