It felt too great to wear the captain’s armband, says Rob Holding
After more than nine months out with a knee injury, Arsenal star Rob Holding has admitted that it felt great to play his first senior game of the season with the armband on. The defender walked onto the field as vice-captain and was handed the armband once Mesut Ozil walked off the field.
Like Hector Bellerin, Holding ruptured his ACL and that saw Arsenal lose the duo at key stages of the season last term. However, after more than nine months without first-team action, both men and Kieran Tierney made their 2019/20 season debuts, doing relatively well against Nottingham Forest. The game ended with a convincing 5-0 scoreline in Arsenal’s favour, with Gabriel Martinelli, Rob Holding, Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson all getting amongst the goals.
However, it was Holding’s goal that struck a chord with the supporters, with the Englishman scoring it seconds after taking over the arm-band. Arsenal’s vice-captain for the day, the 24-year-old was overjoyed with the performance and believed that he saw a lot from the club, admitting as much in his post-match interview with Arsenal.com. Holding also went on to say that Unai Emery is bringing out the best in everyone, but like all great things, it will take time to happen.
“It’s been a long process and there’s been lot of long days in the gym with me and Hector, but I couldn’t have written it any better myself to make that comeback. The way it panned out was just brilliant. When I got told I was vice-captain I was over the moon, so when Mesut came off and passed the armband over I was so happy. Then it went perfectly again, Reiss put a great ball in and I managed to get my head on it,” he told Arsenal.com.
Both Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney also made their return from injuries, with the latter making his debut for the club. However, that didn’t seem to bother either men as they dominated the game, giving Nottingham Forest a lot of trouble on either side of the field. This had Holding fired up, as the Englishman went on to add that he believes that everyone has gelled really well together.
“Yeah, he comes on straight away, has a touch and shot that ricocheted out and then he slides in for the assist. He’ll be over the moon with that and I think Calum Chambers had three assists? He’s playing really well at the moment. The young lads that are coming through like Bukayo, Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock have performed at a top, top level too,” concluded Holding.
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