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Last season was a significant one for Ife Ibrahim as he went into it having not played competitively for Arsenal U21s and ended it with 23 appearances at that level.
However, more significantly he also signed his first professional contract and made his senior debut as a substitute against Kairat in the Champions League.
The defensive midfielder is now a full-time U21 player in the respect that he is no longer eligible for the U18s and he will be eager to have further involvement with the first-team.
Ibrahim’s next opportunity in that regard could come as soon as Saturday, when Arsenal face Girona in their first official friendly of pre-season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly seems likely to start the game in defensive midfield but there could well be a chance for Ibrahim to get some minutes, especially as Christian Norgaard hasn’t been pictured in training this week while Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are still on holiday.
The feeling remains that Ibrahim is more likely to thrive when Arsenal deploy him as a lone defensive midfielder rather than in a pivot.
Ibrahim, 18, provides a major presence in midfield and is capable of breaking up play to excellent effect while he can also distribute short, snappy passes to his team-mates with regularity.
It remains to be seen how much game time Ibrahim will get with the first-team this season and a loan could well be a possibility in the second half of the campaign if he continues to make good progress.
Impressing against Girona would be an excellent way for the 18-year-old to provide everyone with an indication of what he is capable of.