Per Mertesacker admits some former Gunners have helped him settle at Arsenal.

Injuries to other defenders have not helped the German, but he revealed last night former Arsenal players Jens Lehmann and Mikael Silvestre have given him some advice about how to cope with the challenges of the English game.

"I got some advice from Jens. He was my goalkeeper since the 2006 World Cup," Mertesacker said.

"He gave me a lot of advice about the game in England. Living in London is very different to living in a little town in Germany. I got a lot of advice from Mikael Silvestre, who I played with last year.

"They told me the Premier League is more intense, quicker and very physical. I have had to get used to it very quickly. Hopefully I will in the next few weeks."