Koscielny - I feel like a young man

By Lloyd Webb 

Laurent Koscielny may be turning 30 - but he insists he still feels like a young man.

The defender has firmly established himself as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League since his arrival at the club in 2010.

However, Koscielny recognises that he now must put extra effort in during training to prolong his career.

“Footballer or not, after 30 is a big part of your life,” he told Arsenal Player. “For a footballer it is important as you are closer to the end of your career than you are to the start. But, I feel like a young man.

“I’m nearly 30 but my body is ready to play more games, just the age has changed. I try to work hard and to be ready for training and the games and when you are older you need to work harder in training before the session and after.

"I can see the older players like Petr Cech or Mikel Arteta before and after training and it can help [extend] your career [to work hard like them].”

Kosicelny is confident that his know-how can be of benefit to the rest of the Arsenal team.

"I think it is true because you have played a lot of games before and you are more experienced,” he said. "When you play in the Premier League against a lot of big teams and in the Champions League every game can help you to be better.”