Fresh off an impressive debut season with English Premier League side Arsenal, young defender Rob Holding has a few pieces of advice for budding talent on the verge of breaking into the Gunners first-team.
“I think your attitude, how much effort you put in, how much you want it. It comes to maturity, how fast you grow personally [is important],” Holding was quoted as saying by Arsenal Player.
Signed from Bolton Wanderers in 2016 as defensive cover, Holding transformed from a fringe player in August, to a sure-shot starter by the end of the season.
“You have to give some time to the players who may not mature so fast but still might have the technical ability – and I think that’s what they do here. It’s about enjoying playing football and not thinking about what happens if you get dropped out of the team and you’re not involved," the 21-year-old emphasised.
While he was voted Bolton Wanderers’ Player of the Season for the 2015-16 campaign, it was a poor season collectively for the Trotters as they got relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1993.
“I had a difficult year at Bolton but personally I just kept performing as best as I could and it led to the move to Arsenal” explained Holding, as he added “It is difficult to make the step up but you’ve just got to be prepared physically and mentally to put the work in," Holding said.
A product of the Wanderers academy, the 6’2 centre-back is currently on international duty with the England U-21s at the 2017 European U-21 Championships being held in Poland.
“It’s about enjoying playing football and not thinking about what happens if you get dropped out of the team and you’re not involved. It’s about enjoying football and wanting to play. If you have that passion, you’ll have the drive to go on and hopefully get to the first team,” Holding added.