Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has spoken of his delight at getting back to action after five months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The England international put in an impressive 45-minute performance as Arsenal Under-21s beat Fulham 1-0 in the Premier League Cup on Thursday.
The 20-year-old was pleased with his performance, and he admits he has learnt a lot from his spell out of the game.
"The main thing was that I got through it and that is a positive. It is just really good to be back"
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
“It was the first match I’ve played in five months so it was more about getting the minutes under my belt and getting used to being back on a football pitch,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal Player.
“On the ball I know I can do a lot better than that but it takes a few weeks, maybe even a month, to get back to your full sharpness. Obviously I wasn’t at my full fitness here and it was quite hard, but the main thing was that I got through it and that is a positive. It is just really good to be back.
“It’s never easy having an injury, especially when it’s your first long-term one because you are not used to it and not sure how it will pan out. When I look back on it’s been a good learning curve, but at the same time it is somewhere you don’t want to be.
“I am just thankful that I got through it and I’ll look to push on from here.”
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