Mikel Arteta has revealed how Arsenal's England stars reacted to the appointment of Thomas Tuchel and it speaks volumes.
Tuchel has been appointed England manager and will officially begin his role on January 1, 2025, having signed an 18-month contract.
He was presented to the media at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, where he was asked whether he'd sing 'God Save The King'.
Ahead of naming his first England squad, a report claims he could axe a key player.
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However, Arsenal's England contingent of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are likely to feature in Tuchel's first squad.
And, according to Arteta, they are excited about the prospect of playing under the 51-year-old.
Asked what his England stars can expect from working with the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager, he replied: "They’re going to learn a lot!"
Arteta added: "I think he’s one of the best coaches in the world, in my opinion, without a doubt.
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"With his experience, with the way his teams are set-up. Very exciting times.
"I spoke to a few of the players and straight away they had smiles on their faces. That’s always a good sign."
Arteta was also asked whether national team managers should be from that nationality as Tuchel becomes just the third foreign manager to take charge of England and the nation's first German-born boss.
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"I understand opinions and the feelings, obviously, but that’s the responsibility of the FA to say, 'ok the first filter is only English managers or the filter is any manager from any country and we select the best for the moment that we are in right now'," he explained.
"I understand that it can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager there and the history tells you as well how important this could be but I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers and a lot of people would do anything to become the England manager.
"That’s related to, as a foreigner, how we are treated in this country, how much we love the passion, the respect, the history and the way things are done in this country. I can say personally you feel so related to where you are even though you are not from here, I think that’s a huge thing and very little countries can say that.
"For me this is like home, I’ve been here 22 years. I always feel respected, always feel welcome and inspired by this country, by the legacy and history of football and how you get treated daily. That’s something that as a country that you guys have to be so proud of."
Topics: Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, Thomas Tuchel, Football
Nasir Jabbar