Alex Iwobi was one of the surprise packages of the 2015/16 season forArsenal as he burst onto the scene and forced a number of more senior
players down the pecking order.
The 20-year-old scored
two goals and assisted two more in 13 Premier League appearances for the
Gunners as well as earning his first six caps for Nigeria.
But it all could have been so different for the winger as he revealed that he was nearly cut loose as a teenager.
“Well I was on trial at six, and I think I was eight when I signed,” he told the club’s official website. “I nearly got released when I was 13 or 14, so back then I really didn’t think I would make it here.
“There
was a stage when I wasn’t playing up above my age group, but all the
better players were. I questioned myself a lot at that age about whether
I was good enough, but I eventually got through it.
“They
did keep me on and I guess since then that’s when I really kicked on. I
played in the Nike Cup (youth tournament) shortly after that, and then
England called me up and things started moving.”
