Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed he blocked Newcastle United target Rob Holding's exit in the summer.
The Gunners defender was tipped for a loan move away from the Emirates Stadium, and Magpies head coach Steve Bruce was understood to be keen to secure a temporary deal.
However, Holding stayed put and has now cemented himself as a key player in an Arsenal side which has found form following a difficult start to the season.
Now, the Arsenal boss has admitted he turned down Holding's request for a loan switch, insisting he knew the 25-year-old was going to be an 'important player' this campaign.
Speaking ahead of the FA Cup third-round tie with United, Arteta told football.london : "It's true that in the summer he came to me because we had a large amount of central defenders, he wasn't sure about how many minutes he was going to have.
"And we stopped him going anywhere because we knew he was going to be an important player for us."
Holding had established himself as a regular starter under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, only to sustain an ACL injury at Old Trafford which ruled him out for almost a year.
Arteta has hailed the centre-back's mentality in his rehabilitation, and says the centre-back's return to form is all down to the player himself.
He added: "It was almost a year ago when he came back from his injury.
"He had a period where he didn't play and then he played against Leeds at home.
"When you compare how he has evolved from there in a year's time it's incredible. It's down to him. How professional he is, how much he wants to learn, how much he puts that into every training session and then his character and his personality.
"He's growing in every aspect and I'm really happy with him."
