Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was delighted with two-goal Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after victory over Crystal Palace.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored both Arsenal's goals in the 2-0 win.
Wenger said: "I always believed that he could play wide and central, I said that many times that his future will be central.
"He has proven me right today, by scoring the goals but also by the quality of his performance."
The Arsenal boss intends to keep an interested eye on events at the Etihad Stadium on Monday.
"It is two competitors against us and it is always interesting to see how they behave," he said.
