Miguel Azeez on lessons from Portsmouth loan, working with Mikel Arteta and Arsenal ambition

As he glides across the Emirates turf, it's clear that Miguel Azeez has a new aura about him. The 19-year-old is not wearing the captain's armband for the Arsenal under-23s, but as he steps up to take every set piece and orders his teammates where to stand on the pitch, it's evident that he is one of the leaders in Kevin Betsy's exciting young team.

Azeez has never been shy of responsibility, but since his return from a loan spell at Portsmouth he appears to approach the game with the seniority of a man who has had an experience that he will never forget.

"I’ve always regarded myself as a leader because I have high standards," he tells in an exclusive interview. "I know how things should be done. I think my teammates know that I’ll tell them if things aren’t how they should be and vice versa they can say the same to me. I feel like definitely since I’ve come back from the Portsmouth experience I’ve grown as a person and physically as well."

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That spell on the south coast began well for Azeez. After a promising pre-season with Arsenal in which heightened his hype further among Gunners fans with a thunderous strike in a behind closed doors friendly against Watford, he arrived at Fratton Park with plenty of admirers and was thrown in almost immediately for his first senior start against Cambridge. It's an experience that the Hale Ender remembers fondly.

"I enjoyed the game," he says unable to keep a smile from creeping across his face. "Playing against men is a different environment to playing with 23s players. I enjoyed the experience of playing against men and I wanted to push on from there."

Sadly though that wish was not to be