Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has opened up about life in North London and his desire to succeed with his boyhood club.

The Ukrainian star made the move to London from Manchester in the summer and hasn’t looked back.

Despite dealing with a number of injury woes, Zinchenko has settled into the squad as you’d expect a boy living his dream would.

The introduction of players such as the full-back seems to have elevated the morale and belief in the squad, with the current side off to a flying start in the league this season.

Zinchenko was signed from Manchester City where he worked with Mikel Arteta before he took the reins at Arsenal.

In an interview with Sky Sports it was clear to see the Ukrainian’s admiration for the Arsenal boss from their time together in Manchester.

“Every single bit of his advice was so important - it was exactly what the player wants to hear. I've been surprised since I came to Arsenal. He's amazing. I hope and I have no doubt he is going to grow as a manager for sure.

The 25-year-old was not wrong to heap praise on Arteta, who has proven his worth at Arsenal particularly this season where the Gunners lead the league table by five points at the break.

Zinchenko went on to comment about the team’s commitment to always improving and developing as a unit:

“There are only two things we need to do: hard work and belief. On top of it, there's consistency. There is no limit to improvement, there's a lot of space in every single detail. Every point is so important.”

Arsenal’s form has been briefly interrupted by the less-familiar winter World Cup in Qatar, where a five-week gap has formed between competitive fixtures.

Only one Gunner remains at the tournament, William Saliba who has had less than an hour of action so far for France.

Players who recently exited the competition have already relinked with their club teammates, who Zinchenko assured are working hard ahead of the restart:

“We're waiting for the rest of the guys. Some of them are still at the World Cup and some are joining day by day. We are working hard to prepare as much and as better as we can. We are nearly at full strength.”

The Gunners host West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day to restart the much-missed Premier League.

Whilst fans have been able to enjoy the international football if they please to, many would agree there’s nothing quite like following Arsenal – particularly this season.

It could be a special year for the Gunners, should form and desire continue. The fans have played a big part in the success and drive of the players, which Zinchenko described as ‘incredible’:

“I live in an area where there are so many Arsenal fans, The way they support and believe that we can achieve something, it's incredible. You can't imagine how much energy it gives you, just talking to one of them.”

Everyone at the club will be crossing fingers that the form on the field can continue after the break going into the new year, one thing that can’t be questioned is the belief and spirit around Arsenal at the moment.