Arsenal’s young talent, Catalin Cirjan, is viewed as a very exciting prospect - after signing a professional contract with the club last year in December.

Catalin has been impressive for the club’s youth team and has proved to be a key player for the U-18 side ever since his arrival, having racked up three goals and three assists in 15 appearances for The Gunners.

Here, the 17-year old playmaker, who has represented Romania at youth level, talks about his idols in the footballing world and the road ahead, amongst other things.

Growing up, who were your idols in the football world?

I have always tried to learn as much as I can from all of the big players in the world, but personally for myself, Thierry Henry was my inspiration and my model from the start.

[As a young midfielder, I can imagine you would have come up against some difficult and talented opponents in your career already.]

Are there any particular opponents who gave you a hard time?

Of course, I have met and come up against a lot of hard opponents in my career, but I cannot say any one in particular as I always try to be focused only on my game and work towards what I have to do on the pitch.

You signed your first professional contract for Arsenal last year, how did it feel to sign for such a great club?

It is hard to explain in words what I felt during that moment because it was my childhood dream and I was really happy and very proud of that.

Are there any short-term goals that you have set for yourself for the upcoming season?

I always try to outperform and to accomplish as many personal records as I can, but at the same time I think about the good and the success of the team, as in the end all that matters is the team to win.

Is there anything particular that you have been doing to stay fit in recent months, amidst the ongoing pandemic?

Sadly, it was a hard period for us all and especially for the families who lost their members.
Personally, I have tried to push myself to the limits and take advantage of this free time doing a lot of training and exercises, but I have missed being on the pitch with my teammates.

How would you describe your time at Viitorul Domnesti?

Were there any particular things or life lessons that you learnt while playing there that helped you grow as an individual and as a footballer?

It was an interesting phase of my career; I was the youngest player of the team.
It was a great experience to play in the same team with my brother Daniel and I never forget it.

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