Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has vowed to work hard to impress the Arsenal faithful after making a big impact on his full league debut.
Teenager eager to repay fans' support
Young winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has vowed to work hard to impress the Arsenal faithful after making a big impact on his full Premier League debut.
Chamberlain's performance was one of few positives for the Gunners after Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, with the Emirates Stadium crowd mesmerised by his pace and trickery.
And they were up in arms when manager Arsenal Wenger replaced the 18-year-old with the increasingly-unpopular Andrey Arshavin 16 minutes from time, something that backfired spectacularly.
But in between jeering the decision and Arshavin's entrance, fans also did not forget to applaud Oxlade-Chamberlain as he left the field.
Impress
"It's nice when you know the crowd are on your side," said Oxlade-Chamberlain, who joined Arsenal from Southampton this summer.
"I can only repay them by working my hardest when I do get on and trying to impress them.
"But, ultimately, it's putting a shift in for the lads for the club and for the manager. So I'll continue to do that when I'm playing."
Despite his controversial withdrawal, Oxlade-Chamberlain did enough to expect to keep his place for Sunday's FA Cup clash against Aston Villa.
But the winger, who laid on Robin van Persie's equaliser, was fully aware he would need to keep performing to secure a run in the side.
"You can have one good game but the next one could be a bad one," he said. "It was a nice performance from me and I thought there were positives for the team.
"I've got to make sure I keep my place now."
Starting against United was a big vote of confidence from Wenger, regardless of the decision to substitute him.
Positive
"I was happy to first get a start," said Oxlade-Chamberlain. "Obviously, against opposition like Man United, it doesn't come any better than that."
He added: "That is a positive for me to take away, having the boss's trust.
"I've got to just make sure that I repay that with my performances and just working hard in training and when I'm on the pitch."
