By Lloyd Webb
For Ben Sheaf, it is all about practice, practice and more practice.
The talented midfielder has shown that hard work does pay off by establishing himself as a key player for the under-21s after graduating from Frans de Kat’s under-18 team.
A technically-gifted player, Sheaf has taken on the responsibility of chief set-piece taker and demonstrated why during the under-21s' 2-1 win at Brighton on Monday with a wonderful free-kick to level the scores.
“If you have a good delivery then you have a good chance to score, and I hope I can carry on,” he told Arsenal.com.
“We practice free-kicks and corners the day before a game but it is definitely something I practice a lot.
"If you have a bit of spare time then it is nice to muck about a bit, but it is all about being as technical as you can."
Monday’s goal at Brighton was not the first time the 17-year-old has been on target for Arsenal. This summer, he made a big impression at the Durban International Tournament, collecting a winners' medal, the top goalscorer award and being selected as the player of the competition.
Sheaf now hopes to continue his rapid progress when Arsenal Under-18s open their FA Youth Cup campaign against West Brom on Friday.
“Durban was great,” he told Arsenal.com. "It was an excellent way to kickstart life after pre-season and after that things have gone pretty well. I was told I impressed but I just want to help my team out as much as I can.
"Alex Iwobi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Ismael Bennacer and a few of the other lads are training regularly with the first team now and that shows that [Arsene Wenger] is giving youngsters a chance.
“It gives me a push to carry on and try to be like those lads."
Follow @Arsenal on Twitter from 6.55pm (UK time) on Friday for live updates from the game against West Brom in the FA Youth Cup.
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