According to Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin and Danny Welbeck played a huge part in his return to fitness after long injury layoff.
The defender had to endure a disheartening 10 months on the sidelines after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season.
He spent much of his time in the rehabilitation rooms with Bellerin and former teammate, Welbeck, who were also recovering from their respective injuries.
Holding finally made his comeback for the Gunners and ended up scoring a goal in the 5-0 drubbing of Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
Speaking after Arsenal’s win, Holding said, “It was the dream comeback really for me. For Hector to come back and get an assist straight away, you couldn’t have wrote it any better really.
“It’s horrible to say it but it helped having Hector who was going through the same thing. You’ve got a little buddy in the gym. And when Danny Welbeck (now at Watford) was still with us, he had a long injury. So the three of us were together and getting each other through it.”
Holding continued, “It’s been a totally new experience, I’ve never experienced a long-term injury like that before but credit to the club and the medical staff and the fitness people. They’ve put their arms round me and got me through it.
“There was a little bit [of nerves]. Obviously you get that nervous energy coming back in front of a full crowd. I played a few games for the Under-23s, so it was a good experience and I was over the moon with it.”
Speaking about the 24-year-old’s performance, Unai Emery said, “It is perfect to have more options at centre back. His spirit, his positive minutes. Every day in training he helps us to have more performances like a team. He needed to take minutes and confidence. It was a perfect match. He was a little tired at the end, he’s happy.”
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