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Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on Arsenal's young guns ahead of today's clash against Manchester United, with the midweek performance at Chelsea epitomising the quality of the club's academy.

The Gunners defeated the Blues 4-2 away at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, with all four goals coming from Hale End products. It left the BT Sport pundits full of praise when explaining how crucial the starlets can be as they look to help the side to a top-four finish this season.

"I was at Stamford Bridge, and the performance of the academy players was sensational," Keown said. "If you could put a video together for young players trying to go on that journey to the first-team from the academy, on one given night, you show them that performance from Stamford Bridge."

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Ferdinand agreed with the former Arsenal defender, claiming that the academy's success has been one of the main positives at the club in recent months.

"They epitomise everything good about Arsenal," Ferdinand added. "Yes, the results have been inconsistent, but the way that they play, the way the fans can really connect with them, if I was some of these young players, they have a fantastic chance now