When he joined the club in the summer of 2016, Rob Holding targeted some first-team appearances in the cups and potentially in the Premier League too.
By the end of the year, he had starred in an Emirates FA Cup final victory against Chelsea.
“If I could sum up last year in three words they would be: unbelievable, crazy and nerve-racking,” Holding told Arsenal Player. “To get that run at the end of the season with nine games in total was just a massive bonus for the end of that year.
“When you’re playing week-in, week-out you do feel more part of the team and involved. Not that I wasn’t part of the team, but it is just slightly different as when you are playing week-in, week-out the lads are relying on you to not make any mistakes.
“The FA Cup final was obviously a massive game and Per’s first of the season. We just slotted in side-by-side and I’d done a lot of work with Per when we weren’t playing and we were always together on the training ground, so it wasn’t like an unknown person alongside me, it was someone I knew quite well.
“I felt like he was alway alongside me, he was always there behind me if I made a mistake or someone got past me he was there to sweep up.
“Likewise if he was outdone and someone got past him, I felt like I was there and that let us both play with freedom. I think that is the solidarity you need, and we needed to grin and bear it towards the end of the game to keep the win.”
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