Arsenal’s young forward Ainsley Maitland-Niles has revealed that he is being mentored by Mesut Ozil, according to The Sun.

Maitland-Niles made his first start for the Gunners senior side during their win over Nottingham Forrest in the League Cup last month.

The 19-year-old spent lat season on loan in the Championship with Ipswich Town. The youngster also captained the England-u20 side to a 2-0 victory over USA-u20 on Monday.

“Mesut Ozil is probably my role model at the club and he has been speaking to me a lot and giving me advice and tips,” the midfielder was quoted as saying by The Sun.

“I’m really enjoying this season. Ever since I was a kid all I’ve ever wanted to do is play for Arsenal – I’ve supported them all my life and it is a dream come true to play for them.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead for me and I know it isn’t done yet. I’ll keep pushing though to try and become the best player I can be.”

Unfortunately for Maitland-Niles, Arsenal are well stocked in midfield and attack which may make first-team appearances hard to come by. England international Jack Wilshere left on loan over the summer in the search of international football.

Arsenal have been on impressive form of late having avoided defeat in their last eight games. The Gunners have also registered five wins in a row and will be looking to increase their winning run to six when they take on Swansea City.