AIDEN O’Brien once had a trial with Arsenal – but the Gunners turned him down as they felt he didn’t have the required pace.
Islington-born O’Brien is an Arsenal fan and when he was 15 went to train with the club.
O’Brien subsequently moved south of the Thames to land a deal with Millwall, making his senior debut in 2011 when he was 17.
O’Brien is currently on international duty with the Republic of Ireland and revealed just how close he was to being meeting Arsenal’s requirements.
He recalled: “They were saying, ‘you’ve got everything we want apart from lightning pace’. I was, like, fair enough, what does that mean?
“They were looking for something lightning, they didn’t want anything else.
“I’m the type of player who can sniff a chance. If I miss one, it’s not going to dwell in my head because I know the next one is going in the net.
“Before the game, all I ever think about is ‘hit that net, hit that net, hit that net’. That’s all I want do is score goals.”
Image: Millwall FC