Mikel Arteta calls 20-year-old up to Arsenal first-team training ahead of Manchester United clash

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Arsenal have been preparing for their big Premier League clash against Manchester United on Thursday.

The Gunners go into the match on the back of a 2-0 win over Newcastle last time out and will be eager to make it two victories on the bounce.

Arsenal’s opponents, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw with Chelsea last time out, with Michael Carrick set to remain at the helm as interim boss.

Mikel Arteta has been putting his players through their paces at London Colney, and one youngster was pictured in senior training.

Arsenal academy goalkeeper James Hillson took part in Wednesday’s session ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old is currently in the Gunners Under-23s setup, but hasn’t played a competitive game at any level for over a year.

Hillson’s last competitive appearance was back in September 2020, a 2-2 draw with Brighton’s U23s in Premier League 2.

However, he has made the bench for Arsenal U23s’ last two PL2 games.

Despite his lack of game time, Hillson has featured in first-team training under Arteta on a couple of occasions, including against Slavia Prague last April.

Could the former Reading scholar go on loan in January? Does he have a future at Arsenal? It certainly looks as though Arteta rates him highly.