Serge Gnabry has spoken out about the words of wisdom he received regarding the UEFA European u21 Championship from compatriot Mesut Ozil. Arsenal’s record signing played in the 2009 edition tournament alongside Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira and Mats Hummels, with all four now World Cup winners.
The playmaker advised Gnabry to grab the opportunity with both hands and use it as a springboard for his career. Speaking to Kicker, Gnabry said:
“I recently talked to Ozil about the under-21 European Championship. He told me just how valuable the 2009 tournament has been for him, and he said that I should give it my all.”
Gnabry scored his first goal for Arsenal against Swansea aged just 18 and whilst he did feature frequently in the 13/14 season, he hasn’t made a senior appearance since March last year, with a serious knee injury halting the German’s progress. Thankfully for the 19 year-old, he managed to recover in time for the end of the u21s season and made enough appearances to convince head coach Horst Hrubesch to call him up to the squad for this summer’s tournament.
Despite a number of injuries, Gnabry has a long career ahead and is likely to be sent out in loan next season in search of first team football.
