Christian Norgaard agrees with teammate about Mikel Arteta after Arsenal reality check

Christian Norgaard made his long-awaited first start in an Arsenal shirt as the Gunners beat Port Vale in the third round of the League Cup. Completing the full match, the Danish international will have been delighted to finally get his new career step underway.

Having suffered a small knee issue before the season started, Norgaard missed the opening games, having to wait until the trip to Bilbao to make his official debut. He is yet to make his Premier League debut for Arsenal, which could happen at Newcastle on Sunday.

“It's been frustrating,” Norgaard confirmed after the cup victory. “But I think also you need to look at it as it could have been a lot worse as well.

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“I missed three games, which is not the end of the world. I had a lot of momentum, I felt like in the pre-season.

“I played a lot of minutes and did really well. But then now it's about getting back to [the] rhythm again. Getting some minutes like today is amazing for me.

“Getting closer to the level I know I can produce. I'm not quite there yet, but hopefully more minutes now with a new game as well. There will be games all the time, so it's just about being available, and I think the minutes will come my way.”

Moving from Brentford, there is certainly a different feel about how the Gunners play compared to his former club. There has been plenty of reality checks for new signings since their arrival at the North London side.

Declan Rice famously spoke about the changes he experienced following the move from West Ham. Asked about whether Norgaard would align with his new teammates' thoughts after the short time he has been with the Gunners,his answer left nothing in doubt, especially about Mikel Arteta.

“No, I agree with him,” Norgaard said. “It is different than what I've been used to, but it's brilliant how his mind works and the way he wants us to play.

“It's very demanding on a physical level and also on a tactical level. So sometimes I still don't know exactly the things I do, but of course, being out there, trying to execute it will always help. Now 90 minutes in the bank for me and another learning experience as well to get the tactical stuff a bit more under the skin.”

Norgaard has added experience and depth to this Arsenal side, and Arteta made nine changes to the side that faced Manchester City at the weekend. Max Dowman was the only youth starlet on the bench, but even he is making strides into the first team.

The Gunners are missing several players through injury too after Noni Madueke joined Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Jesus on the treatment table. Norgaard agreed that the strength of the squad is something like he’s never experienced.

“No, not even by a mile,” he said. “When you saw the line-up we put out today, we're resting a lot of players, but I still think the starting eleven could be very competitive from a league side.

“I think it's the depth we need to have to be able to compete in all competitions. People know that they will get their minutes as long as they stay fit and available. It's honestly an amazing group to be a part of, both on a personal level but also on a talent level.”