When I first arrived here at Arsenal, I guess I was naive to the big bad world that was London and professional football.
Growing up in Ireland, I played at amateur level, but dedicated every moment of my life to my development and growth as a player. Before I signed for Arsenal, I used to train five days a week with a boys team, three times a week with my team Raheny United, and then I’d play on the Sunday. It’s all I ever wanted to do.
But when I finally became an Arsenal player and signed that first professional contract… well, it’s hard to explain just how big of a change that was for me.