In his first year as an Arsenal player, centre-back Laurent Koscielny is enjoying a solid first season with former left-back Nigel Winterburn believing he will be one to keep an eye on next season.

Speaking during the annual Premium Members Q&A at the Emirates Stadium – incidentally before the League Cup Final – and asked to comment on the current set of Arsenal players, the Englishman opted to look at the defensive department as he was full of praise for the 25-year old Frenchman by him described as one who will be a big player for the North London club.

The 47-year old explained that the player’s mental strength is what makes him a big asset for Arsenal as he is one who never gives up and is never shy to make a challenge or win a ball in the air, even if he is asked to do so after suffering an injury.

According to Winterburn, the Frenchman will be a regular for the Gunners next season, alongside Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou or whoever manager Arsene Wenger will decide to put alongside the Frenchman.

On Koscielny, Winterburn said:

Obviously I always look at the defence because I played defensively and the one player that I think will turn out to be a big, big player for this football club is [Laurent] Koscielny.

I love his mental strength. I remember a game early in the season when he had a clash of heads and he went down and I was thinking, ‘Oh, a foreign player, I would love to see what happens here’.

But he was straight back up and the next tackle, he went into a 50/50 and that for me shows great mental strength. He still makes one or two errors but I don’t like judging a player over six months or a year, I like to judge a player over a couple of seasons.

So I think that by the end of next season you’ll see a fantastic partnership with Koscielny and whoever the boss wants to put in alongside him.