Arsenal starlet Joe Willock heaped praise on coach Unai Emery for keeping faith in the club's youngsters after the 4-0 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League.
Emery handed Willock a box-to-box midfield role against the Belgian outfit and he took his chance with a sublime finish into the corner for Arsenal's third.
It was Willock's sixth goal in 15 appearances under Emery, highlighting the midfielder's rise to prominence this season under the Spaniard.
And the England Under-21 international was keen to praise his manager for giving young players a chance to make an impact in the first team.
"It’s very exciting because we have a manager who wants to play youngsters," Willock said.
"You just have to take every opportunity, try to work hard and try to make a difference. It’s so exciting at the moment."
After a dominant display, Willock revealed some insight into Emery's desire to blow away teams after putting four past a hapless Standard side.
"The manager drilled into us to keep on going even if it's 3-0 or 4-0," he added. "We have to keep on pressing and get the ball back to try to score goals, so that’s what we try to do."
After watching Willock impress alongside Reiss Nelson and two-goal Gabriel Martinelli, Emery pledged to continue handing opportunities to the club's crop of youth players.
"We have to give the chances to the young players and they take them," he said.
"They are close to playing for us at the highest levels. They showed tonight that they can perform and they can score. They are playing well, it’s good."
