Hector Bellerin was a revelation for Arsenal when he first broke through into the first team. His youthful exuberance and incredible raw ability saw him displace the experienced Mathieu Debuchy, and he has since gone on to make the right-back slot his own.

He is undoubtedly one of the most talented young players on the planet right now, but just like everybody else he was bound to suffer from a crisis of form at some point.

That loss of form didn't appear to deter Barcelona, the club where he began his career, as links between the two failed to die down, even when Bellerin reaffirmed his commitment to the Arsenal cause to the media.

As Arsenal's season began to unravel, though, Bellerin became one of the main focus points for criticism from the stands, as his performances dipped.

But far from shying away from it, the youngster took the abuse on the chin and went on to explain that it helped him 'man up'.

“It's something you've got to deal with,” he said per Goal.

“When you win you're going to get fans chanting your name and when you don't do great they're going to give you stick.

“Fans were coming to me after saying: ‘Hector, it wasn't directed at you, it was the whole team, you were there because you had a throw-in and the situation put you there’.

“But, whatever way, it is part of football and I understand. I am a football fan, I've watched football my whole life. When my favourite team didn't do well I'd get angry.

“In that sense, I understand the fans in that situation. They need to pour their anger on me. Fair play. In that game, for example, I wasn't playing at my top level. I need to man up and deal with it.

“You get the perks of football and the cons. That's one of the things that's going to happen. When you're angry you can say something you don't mean. Everyone's got their opinion and sometimes it's going to hurt.”

Bellerin was dropped towards the end of the campaign as Arsenal looked to emulate Chelsea by switching to three at the back, which only served to fan the flames of links to Barcelona.

Staying put

Bur he has insisted, again, that he won't be going anywhere.

“I signed my contract for a reason,” said Bellerin.

“I signed it because I wanted to be here. I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

“Arsenal is the club that gave me the chance to be a professional and since the first time I met with the boss he's always said if I progressed the right way I could be an Arsenal player for a long time.

“I've been here nearly six years and I love London. I'm still discovering the city.

“The other day, I was out in the car in east London thinking I'd never been there before. That's what I like about the city.”