Diaby - Why I like being a mentor

Abou Diaby remembers how Kolo Toure mentored him when he joined the club - and is using the experience to help Yaya Sanogo.

The France international is giving his compatriot the same guidance he received eight years ago and says it is his “duty” to ensure the 21-year-old succeeds at Arsenal.

But Diaby believes that honesty is the best policy when helping a young player.

“It’s [about being] somebody who is going to advise you all the time and who is going to tell you the truth when you do something bad,” he told Arsenal Player. “For a young player it’s really important that somebody on the side has their eyes on your objective.

“Yaya sees me as an older brother so it is my duty to help him be comfortable in the squad and at the club. It makes things easier for him and I could see that he needed help, so we need to be there to help him succeed at the club.

“We get along well because we both started at Auxerre and we have had similar injuries. When he talks to me I understand what he’s saying because I’ve been through all of it - the struggle that he went through.

“It’s the same when I play for the under-21s. We have to show an example on the pitch and off the pitch as well. I tell them, ‘work hard every day, be at your best and always give 100 per cent in what you are doing’. That’s the key to being a first-team player.”