Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has been hailed by Declan Rice and Martin Keown following the Gunners' brilliant 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League
Declan Rice of Arsenal
Declan Rice helped Arsenal beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League
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Declan Rice and Martin Keown are in agreement with their verdicts on Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi after the win over Bayern Munich. The Gunners demolished the Bundesliga giants 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League, bringing an end to Bayern's perfect start to the campaign.
Mikel Arteta's side have been forced to deal with several injury concerns for the majority of the campaign. But Arsenal have still managed to navigate a difficult fixture list to climb to the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings.
The summer transfer window saw Arsenal invest in eight new signings to challenge for the Premier League title and the Champions League. One such player is Zubimendi, who has received praise from both Rice and Keown.
Keown pointed to Zubimendi's impact at Arsenal since his arrival by noticing a change in Rice's role in matches. Speaking on TNT Sports, former Gunners centre-back Keown said to Rice: "Declan, just talk to me about Zubimendi, because I was saying there that you were running free in that game. Galloping all over the pitch, it was just like someone has lifted the chains off you.
"Is it Zubimendi that is giving you that licence to? Because it was just there."
Rice agreed with Keown's assessment, saying: "Yeah, it's been so easy to play with him. We only signed him in the summer, and usually it takes a while to build a connection. But from the first moment we had together in pre-season, I could just tell that I was going to play some good football with him.
"I just really liked him as a person and as a player. As the games have gone on, our understanding of each other has been outstanding. He's such a nice guy.
Declan Rice and Martin Keown were hugely complimentary of Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi
Declan Rice and Martin Keown were hugely complimentary of Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi
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"He is the Spain number six, and we know what Spanish number sixes are like. They are the best at first-phase build-up, turning on the ball and playing forward, playing into pockets, and that is exactly what we've got with him.
"We all trust him with the ball. If there is a player on you, it is just easy to give him the ball, and we all feel so confident with him. He has been so good for us - an unbelievable player."
Zubimendi has proven himself to be a key player in the Arsenal team since his arrival, having been linked with a move to Liverpool 12 months before he signed for the Gunners earlier this year.
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