Abou Diaby believes the NextGen Series is having a major impact on the development of the Club's rising stars.
Arsenal face CSKA Moscow in the quarter-finals of the competition at Emirates Stadium on Monday, having beaten Inter Milan in the last 16.
Diaby has taken a keen interest in the tournament and can see the wide-ranging benefits of competing against the best young players in Europe.
"At a young age they can feel the atmosphere of playing in the European Cup, so that will really help them"
"I would definitely have liked to play in the NextGen Series," he told Arsenal.com. "When I was younger we always used to talk about this kind of competition, to play all over Europe against big teams.
"That was a real dream but unfortunately at that time it didn't happen. But I think it is really good for the youth players, it is great experience for them. At a young age they can feel the atmosphere of playing in the European Cup, so that will really help them."
Diaby has played alongside a number of the Club's most promising youngsters, and sees no reason why they can't go all the way in the competition.
"There are some very good players in there, people like Serge Gnabry and Chuba Akpom," he said. "They train with us sometimes, and I have played with some of them in the reserves. Serge came away with us to Germany in pre-season and was really impressive.
"I think we have a bright future and I wish them good luck against Moscow."
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