Arteta hails the ‘aura and energy’ of Arsenal star after opening game win over Man Utd | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta lauded Arsenal goalscorer Riccardo Calafiori as “special” after netting the only goal of the game in his side’s win over Manchester United.

The Italian’s close-range header in the first half ensured the Gunners made a winning start to the new campaign despite having to withstand plenty of pressure at Old Trafford.

And Arteta hailed the 23-year-old’s impact.

“He has the capacity to change the energy,” he said.

“He comes in the room and changes the energy in the room, he changes the energy in the team, he has an aura, he has a presence, that is special.

“He’s a player that is very unpredictable for the opponent because he can occupy very different spaces, he can do things in and around your box, in the middle, that is very difficult to predict.

“Very happy with him.”

Arteta says he was pleased with his side’s resilience to come away with a win despite not being at their best against United, but knows they must improve.

“It gives you momentum and confidence, two very important things,” he said.

“When you’re not at your standards in certain aspects, like today we weren’t, we can still find a way to win. The team has to find that resilience throughout the season.

“Of course we have to improve a lot of things and that will happen very soon.

“A big, big result coming in the first game to Old Trafford and when you feel they are building something, especially with the momentum of building something with the new signings.”