'I love the feeling of being captain'

Isaac Hayden believes the responsibility of being named captain gets the very best out of him.

Hayden enjoyed a promising campaign last season and produced a series of assured performances in both central defence and midfield for Arsenal’s under-18, under-21 and NextGen Series sides.

The teenager has skippered the under-18s and says that taking the armband has helped develop the mental side of his game.

“It's funny really, my dad and my coaches always used to say I didn’t talk enough,” Hayden told the Official Arsenal Magazine. “I did captain an under-12 team in France and we got to the final, but that was the first time ever and it was a surreal experience. I didn’t understand really what it meant.

“After that, it wasn't really until the latter stages of under-16 football at Arsenal that I was given the captaincy again. Since then, I've haven’t wanted to give it up and have improved on the leadership qualities needed.

“I’ve captained the youth team as a first year, which is a good achievement. I haven’t captained the under-21s yet, but hopefully next season I might get that chance.

"I love the feeling of being captain. It doesn’t change the way I play, but it gives you a certain mental edge. You know you're the one who needs to take that extra responsibility, to lead by example, do things right and never let the team down.”