Arsenal's young midfielder James Dunne is determined to build on winning his first pro deal earlier this season.

"Rather than being the realisation of a goal, it is another challenge. Being professional means that you have to be exactly that. More is expected of a professional player than a scholar and you therefore have to step up and rise to the challenge," Dunne told arsenal.com.

"Arsene Wenger has put a big emphasis on youth and it is paying off. Some clubs pick teams for the Carling Cup purely designed to win the trophy and that is fair enough. Mr Wenger puts youth first and then tries and picks a team that he believes can win. It is more of a gamble short term, but in the longer term we can see the results with what the first team are achieving. It's great to be a part of what is happening here."