Pedro Martinez Losa believes Rachel Yankey will be central to this season’s Women’s Super League title race.
The England winger returned from a lengthy spell out injured to score from the spot as Arsenal beat Watford 3-0 in their Continental Cup opener on Thursday.
Yankey was the most experienced player in a youthful side and Losa says that the Gunners’ four teenage debutants can learn a lot from the 35-year-old.
"We obviously want to keep the experienced players here as long as we can, playing at a high level of competition"
Pedro Martinez Losa
“It was important for us to see Rachel and a couple more experienced players on the pitch, and she performed very well,” he told Arsenal.com. “It was a way to give her confidence and more minutes to see if she could be ready to compete in Sunday’s league game at a good level.
“We have a lot of experienced players like Rachel, Alex Scott, Casey Stoney and Kelly Smith who have a key role in this team. We obviously want to keep them here as long as we can, playing at a high level of competition.
“Not only that, but the character, leadership and mentality they bring to the team is very important in teaching those young players what being at a club like Arsenal means.
“We are going into a big moment in the season and it’s good for us to be in a position where we can win trophies. At the moment we are in a good position to be at the top of the table, where last year this may not have happened. We need our experienced players to help us maintain this momentum.”
Pedro Martinez Losa
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