'I'm excited, I got a little taste last year'

After going on the pre-season tour of Australia and China and catching the eye, Eddie Nketiah can't wait for the start of the new campaign.

The 18-year-old forward has enjoyed a whirlwind pre-season and concluded his preparations for the new campaign by scoring in a 5-1 win over Leyton Orient on Tuesday night.

He spoke to Arsenal.com after the game - and this is what he said:

on his performance...

I thought in the first-half we started off really sharp, really well. I think towards the end we got a bit sloppy with possession, got a bit carried away and lost the ball cheaply a few times, but for a pre-season game it was a good outing and a great result. It’s nice to always get a goal as well, so I'm just looking forward to the new season.

on how he feels about the new season...

I feel prepared, I feel sharp and I feel fit. ’m just eager to get started really. It’s nice to have some great run outs for the first team and under-23s, and I’ve done well with both, so hopefully I can just push on and have a good year.

on facing his first full season at under-23 level...

I’m excited, I got a little taste last year, got some nice goals there and came on a few times, started a few games, but it’ll be nice to get a run out hopefully starting week in week out, pick up some good form.

on what he learnt from going on tour with the first team...

It was just nice to be away and it was a good experience. I feel like I’ve evolved my game a lot better, my all-round play I think I play a lot quicker, more one-touch passing forward around the corners and it gets like that when you train with them more often - you get quicker andget used to the pace of the game and I think it’s really helped me.

on how valuable tour will be to him moving forward...

It’s going to be vital, so hopefully that experience I’ve had will help me have even better games for the 23s when I play.