Hector Bellerin says he already feels like one of the senior players in the squad as he prepares to embark on only his third season as a first-team regular.
The Spain full back was virtually ever-present last term, and is now approaching 100 appearances for Arsenal, at the age of 21.
Speaking during the club's pre-season tour to America, Bellerin said: "Yes, definitely I don’t feel like the young kid, like I probably felt the last time.
"It is nice to feel someone important and valued in the team, and definitely I'm really happen with my role in the team as well."
"We have a lot of experienced players and the boss always says that age doesn’t matter," Bellerin added.
"What is important is that you perform well when you're on the pitch. Definitely we have really good defenders and a really experienced back four as well, and we're really looking forward to this season."
Bellerin progressed to full international honours in the summer, and had an extended close-season break after travelling with Spain to Euro 2016. He played in the victory over the MLS All-Stars on Friday though, and is confident of firing on all cylinders by the time the season kicks off against Liverpool in two weeks' time.
He said: "Everyone in training is looking really, really good and everyone is looking sharp. Everyone is looking really excited for the new season so I don’t think everyone should have a worry how we start the league."
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