Christian Nørgaard on the injury that delayed his Arsenal debut | OneFootball

Christian Nørgaard has admitted the knee injury that kept him out of Arsenal’s opening fixtures was a source of frustration but insists he is now ready to rebuild the momentum he had built in pre-season.

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The 31-year-old midfielder, signed from Brentford for £10 million in the summer, impressed during Arsenal’s pre-season matches before being sidelined for almost five weeks. He returned with a late cameo against Athletic Club and then made his first start in the Carabao Cup victory over Port Vale, describing the moment as “an amazing feeling”.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for it,” Nørgaard said.

“I had a taste of it in pre-season and then unfortunately had the injury. So I had to wait a bit, but today was a nice experience, even though it was a tough game. But we got the job done in the end.

“It’s been frustrating [being injured], but I think also you need to look at it as it could have been a lot worse as well. I missed three games [four], which is not the end of the world.”

Nørgaard stressed how important the summer had been for him, only to see his rhythm disrupted. “I had a lot of momentum. I felt like in the pre-season, I played a lot of minutes and did really well.

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“But then now it’s about getting back to rhythm again. Getting some minutes like today is amazing for me, getting closer to the level I know I can produce.

“I’m not quite there yet, but hopefully more minutes now with a new game as well [against Brighton in the EFL Cup]. There will be games all the time, so it’s just about being available and I think the minutes will come my way.”

Mikel Arteta made nine changes for the trip to Vale Park and Nørgaard was struck by the depth at his new club. “Not even by a mile,” he said when asked if he had ever experienced such strength in depth.

“When you saw the lineup we put out, we’re resting a lot of players, but I still think the starting 11 could be very competitive from a league side. I think it’s the depth we need to have to be able to compete in all competitions. People know that they will get their minutes as long as they stay fit and available.

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“It’s honestly an amazing group to be a part of, both on a personal level but also on a talent level.”

The Dane also reflected on adapting to Arteta’s tactical demands. “It is different than what I’ve been used to, but it’s brilliant how his mind works and the way he wants us to play,” he said. “It’s very demanding on a physical level and also on a tactical level.

“So sometimes I still don’t know exactly the things I do, but of course being out there, trying to execute it will always help. Now 90 minutes in the bank for me and another learning experience as well to get the tactical stuff a bit more under the skin.”