I was lucky to get a professional contract. I wasn't that sort of talent that is considered to be a professional player.

I don't see myself coaching because the intensity of that is massive, and the intensity as a manager, for example Arsene Wenger, is even more.

That's what I love, getting the tube, not getting any recognition, trying to be as normal as possible. Sometimes you get a big Arsenal fan and they tell you they have a season ticket or want to have a chat, which is fine. Some want a selfie, but sometimes I just want to say: 'Let's just shake hands. It means more than a picture.'

I can't even count to five when I say my proper friends in football.

That's why I kept going with my school - I wasn't talented. That's what's the difficulty - you want to define key talents when they are 12, 13 or 14? When I was that age I was nowhere near. People had given up on me.

We have all the money in the world but do not realise how important the body is. A player on average has a seven year professional career, 10-15 if everything goes right. You have to do everything possible to be at your maximum.

I invested a lot in my fitness.

Even at the age of 33 I was one of the most flexible at Arsenal when it came to my back muscles.

There are still so many issues around young players, and we need to find the right way for them. What is really important? What does he need for his self-belief? For his development?

Youngsters need self-esteem, simple targets in life which give energy. In the academy they can be so easily distracted by so many other things it's amazing.

There are so many people around young kids nowadays it can make it very tough and difficult - people who think they are going to care for those kids but do the opposite.

You spend some time with kids, you always take something with you.

We have to present ourselves as a unit, no matter what happens. That is what Arsenal stands for.

After you have won a game, you can maybe smile for a minute and then you have to think: 'How can I recover as quickly as possible.'

Suarez is like a cheeky boy, he looks like a cheeky boy who can really switch on and off how he wants to be, so that is really something. When he is on the pitch, what is going on around him doesn't bother him.

The first Premier League season is always tough for anyone.

When I was young and visited England with my auntie, as somebody who was football crazy, I simply had to come back with a shirt. I can't remember why, but I came back with an Arsenal shirt and my brother had a Manchester United one.

The amount of staff we have in academies is... I've never seen anything like it. It's good to take care of the players but sometimes I get confused by the number of people who have an impact on one kid - we're talking 100 people or more. It's quite a heavy load.

Football has taught me so much.

I never heard anything about 'potatoes' or 'kanaken' during my time in the national team. However I have been called 'potato,' too.

If you just protect and you have no chances on the break and you miss one chance to kill the game, then it's difficult in the Premier League to win any game.

The interaction between the goalkeeper and the back four has to be top to compete in the Premier League.

Even when you are experienced, sometimes mistakes happen.

You never stop working, you never stop doing things because there's someone behind you - in a respectful way - who is giving absolutely everything in every single training session.