Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has said that Arsene Wenger is encouraging him to improve defensively in order to become a better player.

The 18-year-old admitted that defending does not come naturally to him, but revealed that the Frenchman is constantly trying to improve his all-round game.

"There are always lots of errors the boss speaks to me about," Oxlade-Chamberlain told The Sun. "He wants to fine-tune my whole game and make me a better player. I think I have to be more assertive defensively to be a better player.

"I will hold my hands up for that. Defending is not a natural side of my game, but it is equally as important, particularly when you are playing in the Premier League.

"So I have to work on defending and I think I can improve on that - that is the main aim."

Oxlade-Chamberlain joined the Gunners from Southampton last summer.

Written by
Michael Penkman