'Pressure on them' - Arsenal star sold for £1.5m fired up to face old club in Carabao Cup

On-loan Preston North End forward Sam Greenwood said he benefitted from his time at Arsenal as he prepares to face his former club in the Carabao Cup.

Greenwood was a part of Sunderland's academy after joining them from Hebburn Town Juniors, but was signed by Arsenal in 2018 for a reported fee of £500,000 when he was just 16-years-old.

He spent just two seasons in North London, as he was sold to Leeds United for a reported £1.5m, representing a profit of a million for the Gunners. As the 22-year-old tries to build on a successful loan at Middlesbrough, he’s relishing facing Arsenal, and admits all the pressure will be on his former side.

“It has definitely made me a better player, training with players like that day in, day out,” said Greenwood.

“It was very good for me, personally. It was competitive every day, even at youth level. "It was brilliant and has set me in good stead for the future.

“It obviously makes (Wednesday) a bit more exciting for me. Anything can happen in a cup game. We have just got to believe in ourselves. "It's kind of a free hit; we know how good they are.

“They are one of the best teams in the world. We've just got to give it everything and hopefully we can win. The pressure is on them I would say. 

"We can raise our game, but if we give it our all then they are obviously going to find it hard. It is not going to be easy for them, I don't think.

He added: “We will play our game and hope for the best. "We appreciate the fans turning out for games like this. We can see where we are at and compare ourselves against a top quality club.

“You don't want them to have an easy night."

During his time in the capital, he got to brush shoulders with Bukayo Saka, Yunus Musah, Emile Smith-Rowe and Reiss Nelson. Smith-Rowe departed Arsenal for Fulham this summer, whilst Saka recently captained the side against Liverpool, and has impressed on the international stage.

On Saka, he added: "Yeah, I think everyone around him at the time knew there was just something about him - how strong, fast and powerful he was. He still plays the same now as he did when he was a kid."