Carl Jenkinson started and played just under 70 minutes in the u23s’ goalless draw at home against Southampton on Friday evening.

The 24-year-old right-back, making his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt for over two years, was understandably excited ahead of the occasion, and didn’t disappoint with a solid defensive display when called upon at the back.

His main target is to undoubtedly challenge for the right-back berth with first-choice Hector Bellerín in the senior side, and Arsène Wenger has already publicly stated he’s impressed with Jenkinson’s positive mentality in the presence of adversity.

Against Southampton’s u23 side, he managed to build up some match sharpness and although it seemed a certainty that he would be substituted off at half-time or during some point in the second-half, he did his reputation no harm.

Jenkinson got forward well and created an attacking threat down the right-hand side, but was equally caught too far up-field when his side were out of possession. With regular practice and more minutes under his belt, a consistent sense of positional awareness will begin to return into his game.

A more experienced head in a mainly youthful side, Jenkinson’s performance was solid overall and one that’ll give him much-needed confidence as he continues to improve and mature with time.