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Hayden - Francis proves it’s possible

Isaac Hayden

Isaac Hayden is aiming to replicate Francis Coquelin’s rise to prominence in Arsenal’s first team.

The England Under-20 international made his return from injury in the under-21s’ 4-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, having only played 90 minutes of first-team football this season.

Hayden is yet to feature in the Premier League for Arsenal, but has been inspired by Coquelin’s emergence.

"The next stage for me is to go somewhere that I can get game time, be in the squad a lot more and get match experience"

Isaac Hayden

“It just shows you it’s possible,” he told Arsenal.com. “Francis went to the Championship, played very well, and the manager has given him a chance when he came back.

“It’s just one of those things. This season’s been hampered by injury but I was training with the first team at the beginning of the season, sat on the bench a few times and had not really had any game time. The next stage for me is to go somewhere that I can get game time, be in the squad a lot more and get match experience.

“The Championship is the league that I think I can go to and play football. I’m not even expecting to go somewhere that I’m guaranteed to play, I want to go there and show to the manager, fans and the players that I’m good enough to play.

“I’ll fight for my position and I just want to be in a position where I’m being given chances. This is a fantastic club hopefully for the future but I need to be playing games now and it’s a situation that a few of us are in.

“We’re bridging the gap between under-21s football and first-team football. When you’re at a top-four club like Arsenal it’s difficult because you’re going for titles and it’s hard to find a chance to give youngsters opportunities.”

Isaac Hayden in Capital One Cup action

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