Arsene Wenger praised Danny Welbeck as well as new signing Alexandre Lacazette after Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Sydney FC.
Welbeck had a second-half penalty saved before Lacazette came on as a substitute and scored on his debut.
It was a positive start to the Gunners’ pre-season campaign and boss Wenger was quick to back Welbeck as well as the new recruit.
“I would say that he (Welbeck) worked very hard,” Wenger said during a post-match press conference.
“He made many chances in the first half and was so keen to score that sometimes he looked too much for power.
“He put into the game what we expected of him. He’s a great team player and I expect him to have a big season.
“He was out for such a long time that I hope this will be a positive season for him.”
Welbeck’s recovery from the knee injury which kept him out last season has been a bonus for Wenger, as was France forward Lacazette’s first outing for the club.
Lacazette looked lively and took his goal well, side-footing home after being set up by Alex Iwobi.
“It is important for him to get that [first goal] off his shoulders because you expect to score if you are a striker,” Wenger said,
“You could see that he was happy but overall what we were looking for was to play at pace and to develop our collective game, and for long periods in the game that was quite good for us.”