Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Certain things come naturally, and tackling wasn't one of them; I'd sometimes go a bit over the top when I was younger.
It's a dream to play for England, so if I'm selected, I'd look forward to playing. But it's down to the powers above me.
You need to be able to defend. It's massively important, and at Arsenal, we've sometimes been guilty of forgetting that.
It's impossible for one player to play the whole year. I've learnt that myself, and you're always bound to get injuries.
My family have always been West Ham fans, so growing up, I used to go and watch them, and so I was a West Ham supporter.
Sometimes it's been difficult to stay positive, especially after the injuries that I've had, which have been frustrating.
I'll take criticism. I know that's part and parcel of football. But when it's just reckless and aggressive, I don't listen.
The intensity of the Premier League is incredible. The levels of fitness you have to reach just to survive in it is absurd.
I'd say I was an attacking midfielder, and if you are going to be one of the best, you have to score goals and create them.
Sad to hear Paul Scholes is retiring, what a player! Top class and a great role model for any young English midfield player!
Nothing goes through your head when you're playing except who you are playing against and what you can do to affect the game.
Of course there's going to be expectations when you're playing well in the national team. But you just have to deal with that.
My perfect formation would be 4-3-3 with one holding and then the two going forward. I would be one of the ones going forward.
I realise things aren't going to go my way every week. Of course they're not. But the main thing is to give your all and enjoy.
I want to be wanted by Arsenal. I've grown up at Arsenal. I'm a homegrown player, and as long as Arsenal want me, then I'm happy.
I said, even when I was left out, 'I am an England fan, and I'll be supporting the boys.' It's in my blood; it's too hard not to.
I work on my speed and strength every day, and I do a lot of work on my first five yards. For a footballer, that's really important.
All I think about is playing at the highest level and in the top competitions so I can measure myself against the best in the world.
When you are injured - and injured for a while - it is hard. You have to go to the training ground and watch everyone go out to play.
All of a sudden, when you're injured, you realise everything revolves around your core. It's crucial for balance and absorbing impact.
If I went to Spain and lived there for five years, I'm not going to play for Spain. For me an English player should play for England, really.
When you go to the training ground day after day, there's times when you don't want to do it, especially when you see all the boys go out to training.
I think every manager is the same. Three days before the Premier League starts, every manager is selfish that way. They want the players fit and ready.
To play in the Champions League is an experience a player of 33 may not have had in his whole career. To be doing that at 18... well, it's such a bonus.
It is important to start winning international tournaments early and get that mentality into you. Then, hopefully, you can take it on to the world stage.
Being injured, coming back, playing a few games, trying to get your fitness back, getting injured again - you don't get a chance to prove what you can do.
You can help build momentum in training by keeping the pace and intensity high. Make things happen in training, and then you can transfer that onto the pitch.
To spend 17 months on the sidelines is tough for anyone, and it's hard to see everyone go out training and then to go and watch games at the Emirates Stadium.
Look at the best dribblers in the world, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, and the ball seems to stick to their foot, so I can work on that when I am dribbling.
I'm probably the worst fantasy league player ever. I don't really score that often, and I get booked quite a lot as well - when you get booked, you lose points.
When I was 18 or 19, I would come into training, and I'd be the last in and first out. I was one of those that took everything for granted, and I'm honest about that now.
I've been in tournaments before when you've been away for a while, and you're not really playing, you're just training. Sometimes you can feel like you're not really part of it.
Football was a natural thing for me, and with no injuries or injury history that would stop me from training, I just enjoyed coming in every day and playing; then it was taken away from me.
In 10 years' time I still want to be at Arsenal, winning trophies for my club and for the national team as well. I've been there since I was nine or 10. It feels like I've always been there, the club's been great to me and I feel I owe them that to be there and to stay around.
The best player I ever played with is probably Cesc Fabregas. I only got to play with him for a year before he went back to Barcelona, but I learned so much from him - the way he knew what he was going to do with the ball before he got it and his passing - and he scored goals.
I want to play in the Premier League, the Champions League, and I want to continue playing for England. If I'm going to do that, I have to play for my club and put in good performances for my club because there are other English midfielders who are doing that in the Premier League.