Carl Jenkinson says he is ready to replace Bacary Sagna as Arsenal's right-back
The Frenchman Sagna is expected to be close to leaving the Gunners
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Your support makes all the difference.Carl Jenkinson says that he "feels ready" to replace Bacary Sagna as Arsenal's first-choice right-back, with the Frenchman expected to be leaving the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Sagna is out of contract next month, and on the verge of joining City after seven years with the Gunners.
Jenkinson joined Arsenal from Charlton Athletic in 2011, and has spent his time with the club as deputy to Sagna. Arsenal have been linked with Southampton's Calum Chambers and Toulouse's Serge Aurier but Jenkinson hopes that he gets the nod from manager Arsene Wenger to become Sagna's replacement.
"I feel that I am ready for it,” he said. "It is never going to be easy to nail down that spot but I believe in myself and I believe in my ability.
"I want that position to be mine for years to come. Of course I have got a long way to go, because this is a club who look for the best players in the world. If I am going to hold down the position for as long as I want to, I have got a lot of hard work on my hands. But I believe in myself.
I am the sort of player who needs to play regularly to get the best out of me. My fitness and my athleticism is a big part of my game, getting up and down the pitch. It is difficult to show what I can do when I am not playing regularly because it is hard to get into a rhythm.”
Jenkinson has been linked with a loan move away from Arsenal next season but the 22-year-old has no plans to leave this summer.
“As far as I am concerned, you will have to drag me out of this club before I leave,” he said. “I will work my socks off and hopefully next season can be a
big one for me. If I have a good pre-season, work my way into the team and get a good run of games, there will be no holding me back.”
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