Oxlade-Chamberlain relishes Gunners midfield role

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain found himself in a new-look Arsenal midfield in the FA Cup, but revealed that he had enjoyed taking on a more senior role.

The 23-year-old was the elder statesman in the middle of the park for the Gunners on Saturday, alongside 19-year-old duo Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

But it didn’t stop them romping to a 5-0 victory over Southampton to book their place in the fifth round.

And Oxlade-Chamberlain admitted he’d been impressed by his young teammates.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“Obviously the midfielders were shuffled up a lot and we had a big responsibility,” he said. “Southampton are always strong in there so I thought the two young boys, Ainsley and Jeff, did really well beside me.

“We set the pace from the start and we controlled it at times. And when they controlled it in midfield, I thought we sat back, we were compact and we kept a good shape and we saw them out until half-time and then we pushed on from there. So I’m really happy with it.

“It was nice [in the centre], I like it in there,” he added. “You get on the ball a lot and I was delighted to do that.

“The two boys next to me made it a lot easier, they helped me out in there. When your partners are playing well it makes your life easier.”