Leandro Trossard has admitted that he is surprised at how much he has played for Arsenal since completing his £27million January switch.
The versatile Belgian forward, 28, joined the Gunners from Brighton after the Londoners failed to strike a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for their primary target, Mykhaylo Mudryk. But while Mudryk has failed to shine since signing for Chelsea in a blockbuster £87m deal, Trossard has gone on to make a major impression at the Emirates.
While deputising for the injured Eddie Nketiah as a false nine in recent weeks, Trossard has scored once and clocked up six assists to keep the Gunners' title bid on track - including a remarkable hat-trick of assists in the comprehensive 3-0 win over Fulham earlier this month.
And while Trossard is content with the start he's made in north London, he admits that he has been somewhat taken aback by how often he has played. Speaking ahead of Belgium's Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden on Friday, Trossard told Aol: “I maybe didn’t expect to make that many minutes, but injuries helped me a bit. I’m however more than convinced of my own capabilities, I arrived in a great group, filled with great players.
“That also makes it easier for new players to adapt and reach their levels. It was a very busy and weird period for me, but I’m very happy that I have been able to join Arsenal. I think it’s been a great step for me.”
Trossard's cause for first-team minutes has been aided by the absence of Gabriel Jesus, who underwent knee surgery shortly before the former Brighton man arrived at the Emirates.
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Intriguingly, Jesus made his comeback by replacing Trossard in the final stages of the Gunners' comfortable win over Fulham - but was then immediately warned by boss Mikel Arteta that he was not guaranteed to come back into the team ahead of Trossard in the wake of the versatile forward's impressive form.
Speaking after the match, the Spaniard said: “It's great to have him back. [But] he has to earn his place like in any other team. We have alternatives who can play in different positions and we have different goals as well to fill in relation to the chemistry of the players and what we ask them to do. It's a great problem to have, believe me.
“We try to adapt to the quality of players that we have, to put them in their strengths and position where we want as much as possible. Leo [Leandro Trossard] has very different qualities to Gabi, Martin [Odegaard] complements him really well in terms of the space and understanding with him. It's great to have that versatility.”
