Hector Bellerin has opened up about his initial move to Arsenal and what made him take the step to leave his friends and family in Spain.

The 20-year-old signed for us from Barcelona in 2012 at the tender age of 17 and has since gone on to make 30 appearances, which, on the face of it, doesn’t seem like a great deal but considering the majority of these came in the second half of last season, I’d say he’s not doing too badly.

Despite getting thrown into the first team because of an injury to Mathieu Debuchy, the youngster stood up to the plate and delivered.

Speaking to Goal.com recently, the Spaniard revealed why he originally made the life-changing decision to move to London and even cited former Gunner, Cesc Fabregas, as one of the reasons.

“He definitely was a big inspiration to me,” he said. “To see someone else make the same move as me and be successful was really important for me.”

Hopefully he doesn’t want to follow too closely in Fabregas’s footsteps…

He continued, “To leave my family, friends, my city… to see that someone succeeded was really important and showed that it could happen if you work hard and want it enough.

“It’s definitely been a hard journey, lots of ups and downs. Moving to London was a really hard thing for me, but I had a lot of support and I’m really happy that I made that step and came here.”

Of course, moving to a new country, let alone a new team would be hugely scary for a teenager. However, the 20-year-old now seems well-acquainted with London and even talks with a slightly cockney accent.

“I think all the work has paid off after such a great season to be here now,” he added.