The one Arsenal player Gabriel Heinze spends significant time with

Gabriel Heinze has forged a special working relationship with one Arsenal player, dedicating considerable training sessions to developing him.

Gabriel Heinze, Arsenal’s newest assistant coach, has quickly established himself as a key figure on the training ground since joining Mikel Arteta’s staff last month. After the departure of Carlos Cuesta, who accepted a role as the new Parma boss, Arteta believed his former teammate was the right man to fill the vacated spot in the dugout.

According to reports from The Athletic, Heinze has spent significant time working with Myles Lewis-Skelly on defensive strategy, and the pair practiced defending diagonal balls before Arsenal’s pre-season victory over Newcastle last week. The teenager is learning from one of the best, with the Argentine having enjoyed a distinguished career as a left-back during his time at Manchester United, where he won a Premier League title, before moving to Real Madrid.

Lewis-Skelly, who primarily played as a central midfielder in Arsenal’s academy, has successfully transitioned to left-back at first-team level throughout last season. The teenager was not dribbled past once in the Premier League last campaign, and the Englishman could go strength to strength under the mentorship of Heinze.

Across the training ground, Arsenal’s new coach has been described as ‘forthright, direct and frequently loud’, and while some players relish this style, others have found that it requires some adjustment. During training in the Asia pre-season tour, Heinze was spotted taking up the role of a centre-back in drills.

The Argentine is known for his big personality, and in his last role as Newell’s Old Boys head coach, he would punish those who were unsure what to do during training, and would send them assignments through WhatsApp.

After breaking into the first team last season, which saw him rewarded by Thomas Tuchel with an England call-up, Lewis-Skelly put pen to paper on a new deal at The Emirates this summer, which he described as a ‘dream come true’.

Despite competition from Riccardo Calafiori, who was signed from Bologna last summer, Lewis-Skelly is expected to be Arsenal’s first choice left-back this season, which gets underway later this month with a trip to Manchester United.