France star Kylian Mbappe has said he is ‘following Arsenal from afar’ since Unai Emery’s arrival in England.
Mbappe was brought to PSG under Emery’s leadership, and capped a stunning first campaign in Paris by winning the World Cup with France last summer.
Emery, of course, left Paris at the end of the Ligue 1 season having won the league and cup double, before succeeding Arsene Wenger in the Arsenal hot-seat shortly after.
Had things turned out differently of course, Mbappe could be working under Emery at Arsenal now at the Emirates.
The Gunners made numerous attempts to sign the teen sensation from AS Monaco in the summer of 2016, before he eventually moved to Paris.
And Mbappe, who won the best young player award at the Ballon d’Or gala earlier this week, still holds a great deal of respect and gratitude towards his former boss.
“I have a lot of respect for this man even if he did not succeed in Paris,” he said in an interview with France Football.
“He won titles before and I hope he wins them again after. I sent him a congratulatory message when he signed for Arsenal, and now I am following from afar.”
“I do not forget that he helped me adapt to this big team, which was not easy.”
