Francis Coquelin admits he's thrilled with his first team chances at Arsenal this season.

Coquelin has risen through the youth ranks at the Club since his arrival from France in 2008 as a raw 17-year-old - and has matured quickly. The midfielder enjoyed a successful loan spell at Lorient last season and spoke to Arsène Wenger about the possibility of another move on his return.

"When I got back from the World Cup the manager spoke to me about the injured players and told me he needed me at this time," he explained to arsenal.com.

"I thought I would have a chance to play this year as well so I thought I should stay and try and get a place in the first team. At the moment I can't really complain - I have been playing so I'm really pleased with that.

"A lot of players talked to me like Alex Song, Robin van Persie and Mikel Arteta," he added. "They helped me a lot and just said to keep things simple."