New Arsenal signing discusses his move to London and his career so far

GERMAN defender Shkodran Mustafi has hit the ground running at Arsenal – and he says the Gunners have Everton to thank for that.

The former Valencia man has played just four league games for his new club since joining in the summer but his performances are already putting questions marks over the future of captain Per Mertesacker, who is out of the side injured.

And Mustafi thinks the three years he spent at Goodison Park prepared him for the physicality of the Premier League.

He said: “It made me grow up. From a boy I became a man.

“I am only 24 but already I have played in Italy, Germany, Spain and England. I’ve tried to really take some of the style of the different countries.

“Right now, I would say I am an aggressive player. I go into everything and that’s what I learned in England. But I’m also quite tactical, I tried to read the game.

“When I came to England I was quite young. I was 17 and that’s not easy when you come to a different country with a different language, culture and style in football.

“The main thing was I grew up. The way you play football here, the way you don’t have excuses for things made me grow up.”

The Arsenal new boy has settled into a partnership with Laurent Koscielny remarkably well.

In the six games the pair have started, the Gunners have won five, drawn one and conceded just three goals.

With the fit-again Gabriel providing a natural back-up and new signing Rob Holding also waiting in the wings, it is no wonder Hannover 96 are sensing they could have some success with a move for their former player Mertesacker.

The move which took Mustafi from Valencia to north London was worth £35m and made him the third most expensive defender ever.

Only John Stones and David Luiz sit above him in that list – not bad for a man whose family originate from the city of Gostivar in Macedonia.

Such a big fee brings with it a lot of expectation but the German star has made it clear he understands he needs to perform in order to repay the club for their sizeable investment.

He said: “I wanted to go to Arsenal, everything else was negotiated by the club.

“Of course, the price tag is an incredible sum and I know what a burden that can bring.

“That is especially true in my second home in Gostivar. But I could not influence that. So I push it far away.”

After Germany’s World Cup qualifying double header – against Czech Republic and Northern Ireland – is over it will be back to The Emirates for Mustafi.

Swansea lie ahead next with the new-look Gunners defence keen to carry on impressing.