Mikel Arteta lauded “tremendous” Gabriel Jesus who he claims “changed Arsenal’s world last season”.

Gunners boss Arteta could start the Brazil striker for the first time this term at Everton on Sunday after he recovered from a spate of injuries.

Jesus has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring last time out in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United on September 3.

But Arteta insists the former Manchester City forward’s game is about more than goals.

“He is a tremendous player,” said Arteta, whose side finished runners-up in the Premier League in 2022-23.

“A really important player for us. He changed our world last season. You could all see that. He is going to be a really important player for us.

“I think he brought a different energy, a different belief, a different threat, a different fear to opponents.

“And he did it in a really natural way and I think he contributed hugely to the step that we had last season.

“He tracks a lot of attention and players in the way he plays and creates space for others and that’s a big quality.

“When you sign a player you know, who has done it in the league and he’s got the hunger to join us for the right reasons – it was a no-brainer for us to do it and we could see the impact he had straight away in the team.”

Arsenal’s last win at Goodison Park came in 2017 and they have scored just twice in their last five visits.

Former Everton player Arteta talked up Sean Dyche’s side and identified the levels his players need to be at if they are to take all three points.

“For me Everton’s quality is not physicality, it’s what they do and they play really well and Sean (Dyche) does well at doing that,” Arteta added.

“Just talking about physicality doesn’t reflect the qualities they have, the reasons they do it, the intentions they have, how they build sequences and momentum in matches. There’s a lot of work there so it is much deeper than that in my opinion.

“They know (Arsenal players on how hard Everton away is). Obviously we have experienced it so there’s a level of focus and attention you need when you play against a team like that.”

Arteta praised Eddie Nketiah after he featured in Gareth Southgate’s England squad earlier this month, despite the striker not playing a single minute during victories against Ukraine and Scotland.

He said: “I think it’s a big point to be named in the England national team, it’s a big point.

“I was really happy and proud of him and it’s the coaching staff’s decision (on who starts) and he’s going to have to earn the right to play, that shows you the level there is there.”

Mikel Arteta admitted he has an emotional connection with Everton and expects his former side to put up a battle when Arsenal travel to Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arsenal reignite their Premier League bid with a trip to Merseyside where they face Sean Dyche’s Everton, who are unbeaten at home against the Gunners since 2017.

Arteta praised his former side’s attributes and highlighted the special connection between himself and the Toffees.

“I’m really excited about it, the last six years we have not won there so we are going to have to earn it,” Arteta said.

“We know we are going to have to be at our best to beat them there and that’s something we haven’t managed to do so that’s where we are going to start.

“It is a big emotional connection I have to that football club with many years I spent there, the incredible memories that I have so I’m always grateful. It’s a big part of my playing career and as a coach I have to play against them and we have to beat them.

“We’ve been here and we’ve been to grounds before where we haven’t won before and we’ve done it so it’s about understanding the importance and knowing what we lacked in those games and putting it right.

“Sometimes you cannot avoid a battle (with Everton), the style of play they have is very clear and they’re very good at that.

“We have a different one and it’s about trying to impose your way of playing and the tactic is just to make sure your opponent’s strengths are hiding and that ours are coming out every single time to fulfill the potential of your players, and that’s what I think both managers and players will try to do.”

Arsenal’s Champions League opener against PSV next week is their first time back in the competition since the 2016-17 season.

The Spaniard embraced the challenge of a difficult schedule alongside another battle with Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League this season.

“We played three games a week last year, but the Champions League is obviously different with the expectations and that we’ve been away from it for seven years,” he added.

“It’s excitement, this is where we want to be and when you look at the fixtures and the games we are going to have to play, I think everyone is really looking forward to it.”

Arsenal terminated Nicolas Pepe’s contract on Saturday after the Ivorian failed to hold down a starting role at the Emirates since his reported £72 million move – then a club-record fee – in 2019.

Arteta said: “What I can say is that he’s a phenomenal boy, he trained really hard, it’s not his fault that the amount of money we paid at the time.

“When things aren’t working out you have to move on and there’s no point when things aren’t working either way.

“The decisions has been made and I think it’s in the benefit of both parties.”

Arsenal have confirmed the departure of former club record signing Nicolas Pepe.

The Gunners paid £72million to sign the forward from Lille in 2019 but he made only 43 Premier League starts and Arsenal have now agreed to terminate Pepe’s contract with a year remaining.

The Ivory Coast international, who spent last season on loan at Nice, has already secured a move to Turkey, signing for Trabzonspor.

Arsenal said in a statement on arsenal.com: “We can confirm that Nicolas Pepe is leaving the club. We have agreed with Nicolas to terminate his contract with immediate effect.

“Everyone at Arsenal thanks Nicolas for his contribution during his time with us and wish him well for the future.”

Pepe never found his feet at the Emirates Stadium and became an increasingly peripheral presence, starting his last Premier League game for the Gunners back in October 2021.

Monaco's sporting director Thiago Scuro believes the Ligue 1 club is the perfect place for Folarin Balogun to "reach the next level".

Balogun joined Monaco in a move potentially worth £34.4million in August, with Arsenal electing to cash in on the United States forward.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Thinking Football Summit in Porto, Scuro outlined his confidence that Balogun and Monaco will be the perfect match.

"He's a young and top-talented striker, who had a very strong season in Ligue 1 last season," Scuro said.

"So he's fully adapted to the league, and [we are] fully confident about what he can do in the league. Now it's our job to help him reach the next level in his career, as he is recently an international for the US.

"He's a young player with an Arsenal academy profile, which [means] he brings very, very good and strong skills with him."

Balogun, who came on from the bench to make his Monaco debut in a 3-0 win over Lens on Saturday, is set to compete with Wissam Ben Yedder for a starting spot.

"We are excited to have him on board competing now with Ben Yedder, who is a legend at the club and the top scorer," Scuro added.

"Internal competition is one of the concepts that I truly believe [is key] for success."

Balogun netted 21 goals in 37 Ligue 1 appearances while on loan at Reims last season. Only Kylian Mbappe (29), Alexandre Lacazette (27) and Jonathan David (24) scored more times in France's top flight.

Monaco have enjoyed a flying start to the new season, winning three of their four Ligue 1 games. No team in Europe's top five leagues has scored more goals than the 13 managed by Adi Hutter's side.

"I think the playing idea and Adi Hutter's playing style, which is very offensive, very aggressive when we don't have the ball, very aggressive when we have the ball, and the players' commitment to this, is, of course, also very key," Scuro said.

"Considering the quality of our players, we are going to score. The challenge is also that this model also drives you to be very exposed [defensively]. That's why defending together and working hard is important."

Despite Monaco's strong start, Scuro is not getting carried away.

"Of course, it is good to start in a good place and in a good position, because it brings confidence and brings good energy to the daily routine," he added.

"But it's only the beginning. What matters in football is how you finish, not how you start. So we are very happy to have a good start, but we also know that it's a long journey, with a lot to do, and we still have to improve our performance in so many areas.

"This is our focus. It has to be. Taking care of the details, which is going to make us stronger for the next stage."

Arsenal sealed their place in the Champions League qualifying first-round final with a 3-0 win against Linkoping in Sweden.

Caitlin Foord and Lina Hurtig both scored with second-half headers before substitute Stina Blackstenius’ late effort sealed their progress.

Arsenal captain Kim Little’s early penalty was saved and Lotte Wubben-Moy’s first-half header was pushed on to a post.

The Gunners – who handed England striker Alessia Russo her debut – will face Paris on Saturday for a place in the two-legged second qualifying round.

Celtic registered their first win in a Champions League tie as Kelly Clark’s second-half goal earned them a 1-0 win against Brondby in Oslo.

Clark’s emphatic finish following a 68th-minute corner saw the Ghirls advance to the final of their round one group where they will play Valerenga.

Glasgow City secured their place in their round-one group final after beating Shelbourne 2-0 in a morning kick-off and will now face Lithuanian side Gintra.

Kinga Kozak’s effort for Glasgow before the break hit the crossbar and second-half goals from Brenna Lovera and Lauren Davidson saw the Scottish side progress.

Glasgow’s next opponents Gintra knocked Cardiff out of the competition as two goals from Nigeria forward Juliet Bassey in Siauliai sealed a 2-0 win.

Irish Premiership champions Cliftonville’s first-ever Champions League tie ended in an 8-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon.

Marie D’Anjou headed Benfica into a first-half lead and after Fionnula Morgan’s own goal, further efforts from Lucia Alves and Andrea Falcon gave the hosts a 4-0 interval lead.

Lara Martins added two more for Benfica early in the second half and Caitlin McGuinness headed Cliftonville’s first European goal before Alves and Beatriz Nogueira extended the Portuguese side’s lead.

Eddie Nketiah insists he never felt that his chance to represent England had passed him, by even after Arsenal team-mates Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe got the jump on him on the international stage.

The 24-year-old, England’s all-time record goalscorer at Under-21 level, received his first senior call-up for the upcoming games against Ukraine and Scotland but is now ready to make his “own story” with Gareth Southgate’s side.

Nketiah made his Arsenal debut six years ago and last turned out for the Under-21s in 2021.

He has scored 34 goals in 136 games for the Gunners, starting with a memorable home debut off the bench against Norwich – scoring a brace to secure victory in an EFL Cup tie.

Despite bursting onto the scene, Nketiah’s options were limited to the lesser cup competitions and a disappointing loan spell at Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship was seen as another setback.

All the while, Saka and Smith Rowe were emerging as the next precocious academy talent off the Hale End production line – the former now a firm favourite of England boss Gareth Southgate.

Asked if he was concerned he may have missed his own international opportunity, Nketiah replied: “I’m still young.

“Everyone’s journey is different. In this day and age everyone needs to focus on their own story and their own journey, not look at anyone else’s. Our career paths have been totally different. We’ve had different opportunities at different times.

“I’ve always been someone who’s trusted in God, trust in myself, believe in the process step by step. It might not always happen exactly when you want it but if you keep putting in the work and doing the right things it will come.

“I am playing for a great club and a big club at Arsenal. These tough games will be a different and new experience but it is about doing as well as I can, showing my quality this week, and hopefully getting an opportunity to go out there and help the team.

“I think I am a much better player now than I was two or three years ago. It is really nice and I am coming in at a good time.

“I feel confident and I feel ready to continue to improve – that is the thing, I’m still young and humble enough to know I am not the finished article.

“Coming away with these players and being able to show my quality and learn from them is really good for me and (to) continue to take those steps in my career.”

Nketiah could have opted to switch allegiances, with Ghana – the birthplace of his parents – putting feelers out to attract him to play for the Black Stars.

But, once the England call came, the former Chelsea youngster knew he had made the right decision.

He added: “I think obviously both sides were always an option.

“I think naturally coming through the academy at England, you have the aspiration to play here and once the call-up was there and the offer was on the table it was really hard to turn down, something which I felt was a natural progression for myself at this stage.

“I felt now was a good time to make that step so obviously I’m really happy to be here and proud to be here. Hopefully I can go on and help the team this week and get some caps.”

A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after football pundit Roy Keane was reportedly headbutted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Footage was posted on social media of fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards pinning a man against a wall in the moments after the alleged assault on Sunday.

The Metropolitan Police refused to identify anyone involved in the incident, but issued a statement that said: “Police are investigating an incident at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 3, during which a man was assaulted.

“On Monday, September 4, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault (ABH). The man has been taken into police custody.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”

Sky confirmed that Richards had attempted to “defuse” the situation after the alleged assault following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United.

A spokeswoman said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.

“In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.”

Any witnesses or those with information can contact the Metropolitan Police on 101 quoting the reference CAD 6961/3 Sept.

Gabriel Jesus wants to kick on and get his rhythm back after the Arsenal striker scored for the first time since overcoming a nagging, frustrating knee issue.

The 26-year-old impressed after joining from Manchester City last summer but was laid low in December with an injury sustained in Brazil’s World Cup group game against Cameroon.

Jesus did not return to action for Arsenal until mid-March and had to go back under the knife last month due to irritation with the original knee problem.

The striker made his second substitute appearance since then on Sunday, when he completed a memorable late 3-1 Premier League comeback win against Manchester United.

“I’m feeling good,” Jesus said after the Emirates Stadium triumph. “It’s tough when you just come back from injury.

“After a holiday, I started to feel in my knee again. It was unlucky for me. It’s tough.

“After pre-season, you go and try but you feel in pain. And then I made the decision to do surgery as quickly as possible to come back stronger.

“That was tough, but now I’m getting back. It’s so important to get the rhythm again, so, yeah. I’m back. I feel good and I’m happy.”

Jesus says he felt completely fine at the end of last season and only once felt his knee play up at the end of a training session, but even then it felt fine the next day.

His right knee continued to feel fine during his post-season holiday and the start of pre-season, only for the issue to flare up again.

“When I came back, in the first week, still nothing,” Jesus said. “Then after I started to feel it. And for me, it was (a case of) if I’m not 100 per cent, I won’t be myself. I was trying.

“Personally, I’m good with the pain, so I was keeping playing and training.

“I was feeling it a little bit, but for me it was nothing. But then we hit a point when I couldn’t run or move, so I decided to do a surgery and that was it.”

Asked how mentally tough he found that, Jesus said: “First day is s*** when you just find out. Then the day after you realise you have to keep going, fighting and smile because I have a life.

“God has given me a life, God let me wake up every morning, so I have to be grateful, I’m blessed.

“I can walk, I can be here, I can smile, so nothing to complain. Just believe in God and keep fighting.”

That belief extends to collective success at Arsenal, who head into the international break with 10 points from their first four matches after beating United on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford’s opener was immediately cancelled out by Martin Odegaard, before Declan Rice and Jesus struck in stoppage time after Alejandro Garnacho saw a goal ruled out for the visitors.

“That’s the Premier League,” the Brazil forward said. “Sometimes the game changes a lot. We conceded, we came back, we had a penalty, didn’t have a penalty.

“In my opinion there were some bad decisions from the referee.

“Even with their (disallowed) goal, maybe it was a foul on me, but it was offside.

“Then, after the game changed again, we scored two and we won the game. That’s it.

“When you play a massive game like this against a tough opponent, it’s always like this.

“We tried to win but they have quality as well – behind, in the middle, up front. That’s the Premier League, that’s why it’s the toughest league in the world.”

Jesus now has a fortnight to recuperate and continue to build fitness, while fellow striker Eddie Nketiah gets his first taste of senior international football.

England Under-21s’ all-time top scorer has been named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the first time having scored twice in the opening weeks of the campaign.

“First of all, competition is always good – for me and for him,” Jesus said. “In all positions when you have competition it’s a good thing.

“From day one, I’m a big fan of Eddie because of the way he works and the way he trains is amazing. It’s not easy to come from the academy at a massive club and fight to play in the first team.

“Congrats to him, he’s doing so well and he deserves to be called into the England national team.

“For me personally, it’s good competition. It’s always good for the club because for sure he’s making me better and I’m making him better as well.”

Arsenal return to action at Everton on September 17, with United back in action the previous day as they look to return to winning ways at home to Brighton.

Manager Erik ten Hag said: “We have to improve, definitely. But you see, and also what we have seen last year, we can beat everyone. It was such small margins today, so it could also have been our side.”

Police have launched an investigation after footage was circulated on social media following an alleged assault on Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane.

Sky confirmed that fellow pundit Micah Richards attempted to “defuse” the situation at the Emirates Stadium following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been no arrests but they are investigating an alleged assault after the game on Sunday.

Sky said the alleged assault “immediately” preceded the footage on social media.

Confirming the incident, a Sky Sports spokeswoman said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.

“In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.”

In their own short statement, the Met said: “Police are investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, 3 September.

“There have been no arrests. Inquiries are ongoing.

“Any witnesses or those with information are asked to call 101 ref CAD 6961/3 Sept.”

Erik ten Hag was left bemoaning several decisions he felt went against his Manchester United side as they sank to a dramatic late defeat at Arsenal.

Stoppage-time strikes from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus secured a 3-1 win for the hosts, who had equalised through Martin Odegaard just 110 seconds after Marcus Rashford had opened the scoring for United.

The late double would have been even more galling for the away side as substitute Alejandro Garnacho thought he had won it with his own strike, only to see it ruled out by a close offside VAR call.

That was just one of the close decisions ten Hag believes fell in Arsenal’s favour as the Red Devils slipped to a second defeat of the season in north London.

The Dutchman also felt Kai Havertz should have been booked for diving after seeing a penalty award overturned by VAR and that Rice’s goal came about only because Jonny Evans had been fouled – while he called for debutant Rasmus Hojlund to have been given a spot-kick of his own.

“The performance was right but the result was not on our side and definitely many decisions were against us,” he said.

“Let’s start at the penalty given but rejected. Everyone can see it’s a simulation but he did not get booked for it.

“Then the foul on Hojlund in the penalty area and I don’t think it was even noticed by the VAR. Then the disallowed goal from Garnacho.

“I think they looked from the wrong angle and it’s onside. Then the final goal. How can they allow that? It’s a clear and obvious foul on Jonny Evans otherwise he would have blocked the shot from Declan Rice. So it’s a lot.”

Despite the defeat ten Hag felt his team – without a number of injured first-team players and having also lost centre-back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof to injury and illness, respectively, during the game – put in a strong showing.

“I also have a good feeling because our performance was very good,” he added.

“I won’t say it was perfect because there is definitely room for improvement. But if we see our compactness, pressing, moving with the ball and making the counters, very calm, we never gave Arsenal an opportunity to press us.

“The next stage is we could have done that better and the movement we could have done in the right moments. There were a lot of positives in this game but there is still a lot to do.”

Arsenal have now won three of their opening four games as Rice once again shone following his £105million summer move from West Ham.

He topped off a fine display with the important second goal as manager Mikel Arteta hailed the influence of the England midfielder.

“I think, a tremendous performance,” he said.

“When you look at how a holding midfielder needs to dominate his area, how he needs to break up play, how he glided the team together when they were stretched a bit.

“Then he produced a magic moment to win us the game, so, (I’m) really happy with him.

“He’s a great kid. I think he’s got a good mixture between being extremely demanding with everybody and himself, having a bit of banter and being around the staff and the boys in a really humble way. So I think he’s fitting in brilliantly.”

Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus fired Arsenal to a stunning 3-1 stoppage-time victory against Manchester United as a thrill-a-minute clash came to an unforgettable conclusion.

Last year’s Premier League runners-up hosted the side that finished third on Sunday afternoon as these teams looked to kick on from more unconvincing starts than their respective points tallies suggested.

Marcus Rashford brilliantly put Erik ten Hag’s United ahead in the first half at the Emirates Stadium, only for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard to impressively level 110 seconds later.

The match looked set to end in an absorbing draw after a penalty for a foul on Kai Havertz was overturned following a pitchside review, before the VAR ruled out substitute Alejandro Garnacho’s late winner for narrowly straying offside.

United’s wholehearted celebrations were cut short and there was still time for more drama in a jaw-dropping ending.

A deep corner found Rice to slam home his first Arsenal goal off the heel of Jonny Evans in the sixth minute of stoppage time, before substitute Jesus coolly added gloss for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Mikel Arteta praised Eddie Nketiah’s fight to be in the picture to play for England after the Arsenal striker earned his first senior call-up.

Nketiah made the cut in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and a friendly in Scotland.

The 24-year-old is England’s all-time record goalscorer at under-21 level but has yet to be given his chance in the senior ranks.

But that opportunity could come in the next couple of weeks and Arteta believes it would be just reward for the efforts of the Arsenal forward.

“I’m so pleased. If someone deserves to be in the England squad, that’s him,” he said.

“An academy player that had some moments when his pathway wasn’t very clear and he had to fight.

“I love his mentality, his work rate, how much he loves the game and how hard he’s fought to be recognised at that level. In this country, to play there is phenomenal.”

Nketiah had gone 14 games without a goal for the Gunners before breaking the deadlock in their Premier League opening-day win over Nottingham Forest.

He also came off the bench to score in the 2-2 draw with Fulham last weekend and will be pushing for a recall when Manchester United visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

“There are a lot of things that he has improved, first of all his decision-making, especially in certain phases in ball possession,” added Arteta.

“I think his aggression without the ball is intensive, the way he reacts to that. I think physically when you look at him, he is very different.

“I just had a picture of him, one of him when he was playing in (the academy) Hale End and to now and he is a different player and he’s worked so hard to achieve that.

“What I like the most is his mentality and this keeps evolving, because he’s never going to be satisfied. Never. And that’s the way he is.”

Nketiah, who hit an unrivalled 16 goals in 17 under-21 caps, feels he has now reached the top of the international football mountain.

“Obviously coming through the ranks as an academy boy and the youth groups at England, it’s a nice feeling to get that natural progression to go to the seniors,” he told arsenal.com.

“It’s the pinnacle of recognition for a player that represents England, so I’m really happy to be there and looking forward to meeting up with the boys.”

Folarin Balogun has completed a permanent move to French club Monaco from Arsenal.

The PA news agency understands the deal for the 22-year-old United States forward is worth 40million euro (£34.3m) and also includes a sell-on clause of 17.5 per cent.

Monaco confirmed Balogun had signed a five-year contract until June 2028.

Balogun joined the Gunners aged 10 and developed through the club’s academy before signing a first professional contract in February 2019 and made his senior debut in the Europa League the following year.

In January 2022, Balogun joined Sky Bet Championship side Middlesbrough on loan and he spent last season in Ligue 1 at Reims, where he scored 21 goals.

A club statement from the Gunners read: “We thank Folarin for his contribution to Arsenal, through our Academy into the first team, and wish him the best of health and happiness in his new chapter at Monaco.”

England and Aston Villa star Rachel Daly and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland have won the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year awards.

Daly’s Lionesses team-mate Lauren James and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka have been named as the PFA young players of the year in the awards voted for by their peers.

Daly and James were key performers for England in their run to the World Cup final earlier this month, but the accolades they received at the PFA’s 50th anniversary awards event in Salford are based on their performances last season.

Saka was voted the men’s Young Player of the Year after a terrific season for club and country, while a star of the club’s past, Ian Wright, picked up the men’s PFA Merit award.

Jill Scott, who won 161 caps for England and retired after the Lionesses won the Euros last summer, received the women’s Merit award.

Daly’s victory in the senior women’s player category came after she hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.

The 31-year-old from Harrogate saw off competition from five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list – Sam Kerr, Frida Maanum, Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Ona Batlle.

James, who featured in the World Cup final as a substitute after a red card in the last 16 against Nigeria meant she was suspended for the quarter-final and semi-final, was a key player for Chelsea as they won the domestic double.

Haaland enjoyed a stunning debut season for Manchester City, hitting 52 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble last season.

The 23-year-old was voted as the Premier League’s top player, seeing off competition from his team-mates John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as from Arsenal duo Saka and Martin Odegaard and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, now at Bayern Munich.

Saka secured the young player prize after enjoying his finest season to date, scoring 14 goals for the Gunners and contributing 11 assists.

He was also one of England’s star performers at the World Cup in Qatar last winter.

Wright’s career in football was recognised with the Merit award. The 59-year-old, who starred as a striker for Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England, is now a popular broadcaster for the BBC and ITV.

Wright has become a vocal ally for the women’s game and also campaigns against discrimination within the sport. He became an OBE for services to football and charity in the King’s Birthday Honours in June.

Scott received the women’s merit award in recognition of a stellar career at club and international level. The 36-year-old played for Sunderland, Everton and Manchester City between 2004 and 2022. As well as her England caps, she also featured for Team GB at London 2012 and again in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

To mark the awards reaching a half-century, the PFA also handed out individual player prizes for the Championship, League One and League Two for the first time.

Chuba Akpom was voted as the second tier’s top player, after top scoring with 28 goals for Middlesbrough. His fine form at Boro earned him a summer move to Dutch side Ajax.

Conor Chaplin, whose 26 goals spearheaded Ipswich’s promotion push from League One, won that division’s award, while Bradford’s Andy Cook was League Two’s Players’ Player of the Year.

Mikel Arteta has backed Kai Havertz to win over the fans and come good at Arsenal after the summer signing from Chelsea endured a tepid start to his career at the Emirates.

Havertz arrived for £65million in June and has started all three of the team’s Premier League games as part of a midfield three this season.

He was withdrawn after 56 minutes of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham having struggled to help Arsenal back into a match in which they trailed to Andreas Pereira’s first-minute goal.

He had one glorious chance to level early in the first half when he got his head to Bukayo Saka’s clever flick back across goal but badly miscued his effort.

And there was audible discontent from sections of the home support in certain moments when the Germany international was in possession.

His struggles were thrown into stark relief by the impact of the player who replaced him, Fabio Vieira, who won a penalty from which Saka equalised in the 70th minute and then set up fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah to fire Arsenal into the lead moments later.

Arteta insists he has been pleased with Havertz’s contributions so far and said he remains confident he will settle in north London.

“I saw an action when he played it backwards and he could have turned,” said the manager. “But that’s more I think the demands of everybody, to play forward and to impact the game in the final third, because we had the urgency to win it.

“Yes, I think (he will win the fans over). I think he’s done already really good things today. It was tough for him in certain moments, he got in great areas again and the ball didn’t arrive.

“He’s had a lot of situations, he should have scored already a lot of goals this season, and that’s the thing that is missing there.”

The introduction of Vieira and Nketiah in the second half had a transformative effect on Arsenal after a first half in which they dominated play but rarely extended Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Vieira in particular succeeded in galvanising the team in midfield after the ineffectual Havertz had departed, playing a decisive role in the goals that looked to have won it for the hosts before Joao Palhinha’s late strike for 10-man Fulham.

But Arteta reserved special praise for Nketiah, a surprise omission from the starting line-up after performing well during Monday’s win against Crystal Palace, winning the penalty from which Martin Odegaard secured a 1-0 victory.

“(Nketiah) looks a real threat at the moment,” said Arteta. “He’s in a good moment, I think he’s full of confidence. I saw when he came on in the second half the fire in his eyes, and he’s got an eye for goal. The way he finished the action, it was top.

“It’s difficult to leave (any) player out. When I see the bench there are players that still haven’t played. But we’ve (played once a week (so far). In two weeks, that’s going to be a completely different scenario and we’re prepared for that.”