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Arsene Wenger feels Vito Mannone has all the
qualities needed to one day become Arsenal's first-choice
goalkeeper - but accepts the 21-year-old must also continue to be
patient.
The Italian has been handed an extended run in the Gunners side
after Manuel Almunia was laid low with a virus and Poland
international Lukasz Fabianski recovering from a knee injury.
Mannone, though, showed he was not out of place with a string of
fine reaction saves to help secure a 1-0 victory at Fulham which
moved the Gunners up into fifth place, closing the gap on Chelsea
who lost away to Wigan.
It has been a long wait for Mannone, who joined Arsenal from
Atalanta as 16-year-old and had a difficult experience while on
loan at Barnsley during 2006/2007, which lasted only four
games.
Now, though, Wenger feels the Italian has all the ingredients to
make it at the highest level. "We had him in training and tested
him, we found some qualities in him, which he has now shown,"
reflected the Arsenal boss.
"It has not been easy for him. "But when a player goes abroad
and resists so hard to go back, works without playing, that means
there is no better education for his mental strength.
"He has been through that. He went through bad experiences and
kept working. He has a belief in himself. "You do not want to make
a star of him with just one game, but you have to say he has
quality."
Wenger added: "What is the most important is to show you have
quality. "He got a very good education. He has been every day in
training with [Jens] Lehmann, with Almunia and Fabianski.
"Now he has shown he has quality. "You always can see what
happens when everyone is back."
Mannone is set to be in goal again for Tuesday night's Champions
League Group H game against Olympiacos at Emirates Stadium.
It is a challenge the rookie keeper is relishing, having made
his European debut in the away trip to Standard Liege.
"When you come in the first team, you must show what you can
do," he said, "I think I did it and I am really happy for that.
"The boss told me to stay relaxed, use my technique and play as
in training. I tried to do that and it went well."
Mannone recalled: "I came here when I was very young. I was 15
when I had a trial and 16 when I actually started my season. I
think I have grown a lot. "I trained a lot and worked hard to be
here. After five years, it makes me happy."
Arsenal may have ended the match, to which referee Martin
Atkinson added some five minutes of stoppage time, with all three
points, but it certainly was no easy ride.
Fulham - who have now lost four of their six Barclays Premier
League matches - dominated for long spells and but for the
brilliance of Mannone, could have a couple of goals to the
good.
Andrew Johnson, Clint Dempsey and, in the second half, Bobby
Zamora were all denied, while Robin van Persie's well-executed
strike proved enough to take all three points back to north
London.
Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson, however, feels his team have shown
enough to make him believe the results will come.
"It is not something which bothers me in the longer term,
because if we continue to create chances then we will score goals,"
he said. "We were just unfortunate that we came across a goalkeeper
who was in splendid form.
"Maybe on another day, two or three of those very good chances
we created would have been scored, and all the post-match
conversation would have been totally different."
