"The first thing he would point out" - Mikel Arteta's former teammate claims he knew the Arsenal man would be a great manager

Bacary Sagna, who shared the dressing room with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal as players, has claimed that he always knew the Spaniard would go on to become a manager.

Arsenal currently sit atop the Premier League table, with 44 points from 17 matches to the surprise of many. They notably boast a five-point lead over defending champions Manchester City.

Much of the credit goes to their current manager Arteta, who has been in charge of the club since December 2019. The Spaniard is on course to lead the Gunners to their first UEFA Champions League qualification in eight years.

It is worth noting that Arteta plied his trade for the North London giants for five years before hanging up his boots in 2016. He then had a three-year stint as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City before taking the reins at the Emirates Stadium.

Sagna has now revealed that Arteta displayed a passion for coaching even during his playing days at Arsenal. The Gunners legend insisted that he was certain that the ex-midfielder would go on to become a top manager. He told Midnite:

"I could tell Mikel Arteta was going be to a great manager when I played with him. When I used to go around his house to watch football, a game like El Clasico, the first thing he would point out is 'They're playing 5-2-3' and would always be really into the games he watched and talked about the tactics."

Sagna went on to draw parallels between Arteta and Manchester City Manager Guardiola. He added:

"It's a passion for Arteta, like Pep Guardiola, they both eat, drink and live for football. Arteta was a natural leader at Arsenal."

While Arteta played for the Gunners for five years, Sagna was at the club for seven years between 2007 and 2014. The two played 83 matches together for the London outfit and even combined to find the back of the net once.

It is also worth noting that Arteta and Sagna went on to have a brief reunion at Manchester City. The Frenchman was plying his trade for the Cityzens when the 40-year-old joined as Guardiola's assistant.

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Arsenal have a tricky run of fixtures coming up

Arsenal have already staked their claim as genuine title contenders this season. However, results in their upcoming matches could determine their chances of going all the way in the Premier League this term.

They are scheduled to face north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday, January 15. They also have a match against Erik ten Hag's Manchester United coming up this month.