The prospect of Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein has revealed that he has rejected the possibility of joining Manchester United in the summer of 2018 due to the atmosphere around London’s Colney training ground.
Hein was the first player to join Arsenal after Arsene Wenger’s departure, signing from the Estonian club Nomme United in June 2018.
Since joining the young man, who is 6 feet 3 inches, has proven to be a shrewd acquisition and having only turned 18 in April, he has already established himself as a first choice goalkeeper in the Arsenal Under 23 team . He also trained with the Gunners’ first team and was among the groups that traveled to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City.
The eighteen year old was highly sought after upon his arrival in North London with the Gunners having to fight Manchester United to secure Hein’s signature after an impressive trial period in February of that year.
Video not available
“I also received an offer from Manchester United during the same period,” Hein told Arsenal’s football day schedule.
“When I first received offers from them and from Arsenal, I was honored because they are both such big clubs with an impressive history, so it was a difficult decision to make, but from the beginning I loved Arsenal. Everything seemed so right.
“When I was on trial, the impression they gave me was so impressive because I loved the atmosphere of the training ground and the way all the people spoke to me and welcomed me. After that I had the feeling that Arsenal was the right place for me and my development “.
Hein also goes out of his way to credit his “mentor”, former Derby County and Arsenal goalkeeper Mart Poom, with an influential role in his early progress.
Last season, Hein played regularly in Arsenal’s U23 team, starting 11 games with Steve Bould and conceding 19 goals. It also drew the attention of head coach Arteta, who had summoned Estonia until the team’s first training sessions even before his 18th birthday.
The young man is an increasingly familiar face of the Arsenal first team, who does not seem to take things on Hein more easily than they do with Bernd Leno or Emi Martinez.
Why should you sign up?
In every football.london Arsenal bulletin, we will provide you with the latest news, transfer features and comments, as well as key discussion points for fans.
We will also send you special newsletters when the big stories break or there is a special event going on.
How do you sign up?
It’s easy and only takes a few seconds.
Simply type your email address in the box at the top of this article – or any article in the Arsenal section of football.london in fact – labeled ‘Get the greatest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’ .
And that’s all, you’re ready.
If you later decide you no longer want to receive emails, simply follow the link to unsubscribe from one of the newsletters, but we don’t think you will.
For more details click here.
“That feeling of going out to Colney and training alongside a caretaker like Bernd at that age was something I will never forget. The level of that training session was just plain crazy for me.
“The only thing I noticed is that it’s not just the attackers who make incredible goals … literally every player on the team is of such high quality that he can react in a split second, hit the ball cleanly and find the corners.
“It’s so hard to save them, but when you do, it’s a good feeling. Nothing beats that buzz you get.
“Now I have trained with Emi and Bernd and I have learned a lot from them in every session. They are so important for Arsenal and they do everything according to the highest standards. Their reactions, athleticism, professionalism and mentality are perfect and it is really a joy to watch. “
.
