As a former Arsenal captain, Mikel Arteta knows better than most the qualities required for the role and in Kieran Tierney, he believes he has identified the perfect candidate for the future.
Tierney struggled when he first moved to the Gunners from Celtic for £24million in summer 2019, making only 11 appearances before the spring 2020 lockdown as he tried to adapt to a new life while also battling hip and shoulder injuries.
But the 23-year-old has since made huge strides and after a dazzling performance in Saturday's comfortable victory over West Bromwich Albion, Arteta revealed he expects Tierney to inherit an armband worn by Frank McLintock, Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira, as well as Arteta himself from 2014-16.