Mikel Arteta held his post-match press conference against Bolton at the Emirates Stadium, following Wednesday’s 5-1 win in the Carabao Cup.

Below you’ll find everything he had to say on the following topics:

about the performances of our young Gunners:
Yes, a very positive evening, the result, the performance. We gave a lot of senior players minutes and they really showed a lot of quality tonight. And then we also gave a lot of chances to a lot of young players. They responded really well and it’s so satisfying to see their faces, their reaction and how much it means to them. A really great evening.

on Jack Porter’s reaction when he started for Arsenal at the age of 16:
Well, we told him yesterday and he was immediately over the moon. I think he spoke to his family. And yeah, they weren’t prepared for that. It’s a big step. It’s a big event for them. And I think they were nervous about it. But I think he’s taken it really well. He was really calm in training yesterday too. His teammates really helped him with that too. And what an experience and what a way to break a record.

about Ethan Nwaneri scoring his first goals for the club:
The second one I was really happy for him because he scored. I’m really happy because I know how his teammates would react if he didn’t. So I think overall, again, he was really good. I think it was a really strong performance from him. I think he really feels part of us. You can see he’s playing with that confidence, that belief and that understanding of what he has to do on the pitch, so very impressed.

about our senior players who guide the younger players:
Yeah, they did it yesterday in training, they gave them advice. I think the boys feel really comfortable with them. Because they are a great group of players and they really, they can be themselves if they have fears, they can ask questions and they will be happy to help. And it is great that they show that leadership as well. And that sense of caring, that is important and we all need it at some point in our career.

about Raheem Sterling’s performance:
Yeah, it’s very good. I think he’s getting better and better. I think you can see physically that he’s making steps. The moment the game opened up a bit, you know, what he can do, how he can perform. He was involved in a couple of goals, so a very positive night for him.

about David Raya’s injury and whether he will be in action this weekend:
We don’t know yet, he has a muscle injury.

on why Jack Porter was selected to start as goalkeeper:
Jack has been training with us since pre-season and we are confident that he can handle the role he has in the international team. We have seen what he can do and believe he was the right choice.

on how close Ethan Nwaneri is to a Premier League starting spot:
Let’s go, it’s another step, I think it’s beyond what anyone could have expected, in his journey with the first team he’s always beyond what anyone expected and what I expected too, he’s part of us, so he’ll have the minutes.

about having a dream to start a full team of academy graduates:
I have all kinds of dreams, but it’s nice to have, it’s positive. What makes a dream come true is the team that I have and that I have to manage.

on the question of whether the players have school tomorrow morning:
There are a few, they definitely have to be there, it will be great. They were very excited after the game, they spoke to the players to thank them, it was a nice moment.

on what Mikel Arteta did when he was 16 years old:
At the age of sixteen I lived in Barcelona, ​​on my own in La Masia, training alternately with the B team and the first team.

on the question of whether he recognizes himself in Jack Porter:
In Jack? I wasn’t just thrown in. I had a situation when I was 17 when I went to Paris when I went from the B team to Paris, that was a big step, I know a little bit how he feels, but I had a little bit more time to prepare than Jack.

on switching off football between a quick succession of matches:
It’s not easy at the moment. Of course, we have a lot of time at home with our families. The rest of the day we prepare for one game, think about the next one, the line-ups, the travelling, the match situations we can face and how we can prepare for that. It’s very busy, but that’s what we want. We’ve had an incredible week in all aspects, emotionally, physically, in terms of learning and as a coach. We had some issues that we had to deal with. What I had in mind during the international break and what exactly happened and the players we had at our disposal was very different. It’s been good.

or Mikel has other hobbies besides football:
No, the biggest hobby is spending time with my wife and kids when I have time. Yes, tennis is one of them. I don’t have much time to play, but my kids try to get me to play Playstation, Mario Kart and such. I’m not a big fan of that yet.

on what sets this current group of players in the squad apart from the previous ones:
I think it’s the stage in your career where you start to dream or have certain goals and targets. When you reach them, you want something else. If the team, the club, can’t offer you that at that moment, you have to go and do it somewhere else. I think that’s very natural.