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'That save was a nice moment to have’

Matt Macey will never forget Arsenal’s friendly against Lens, thanks to his instinctive save to deny Benjamin Bourigeaud.

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The 21-year-old goalkeeper had to react quickly to tip the midfielder’s 25-yard strike over the crossbar, just 19 minutes into his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.

“I saw the shot late and it was coming through bodies as it was cleared from a corner, but I managed to see it in time to get my feet right,” he told Arsenal Player. "Then I was a bit lucky in the end as I threw my hand at it and it went over.

“It was a good feeling and it gives you that bit of confidence when it’s so early in the half. It was a nice moment to have, especially in such a high-tempo game. It was a good test and good for us younger lads to play a proper game like that.”

With the likes of Petr Cech, David Ospina, Wojciech Szczesny and Emiliano Martinez at the club, Macey understands his first-team opportunities are limited, but the 21-year-old is determined to focus on the positives of learning from four top-class goalkeepers.

“It’s tough but that’s part of being at Arsenal,” he said. “You’ve got to beat the best to be the best. It’s such big club that if you’re going to make it to No 1 then it’s going to be hard.

“It’s one of the hardest positions to establish yourself in at any top-level club. There are benefits to it though and I’ve learnt from three or four world-class goalkeepers over the last few years, so you have to take it as a positive.”

 

Matt Macey

Matt Macey