Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry has insisted that Gunners captain Laurent Koscielny is the toughest defender he has played against.
Gnabry left Arsenal for Werder Bremen in 2016 and he was snapped up by German champions Bayern Munich a year later due to his performances in the Bundesliga.
The winger spent last season on loan at Hoffenheim and has been a key member of the Bayern Munich squad this term, starting 12 of the 19 Bundesliga games for the Bavarians.
Gnabry joined Arsenal from Stuttgart’s academy in 2011 and spent a considerable period of his development period in north London, making 18 senior appearances for the club.
He feels his time at Arsenal toughened him up as he stressed that playing against a defender of Koscielny's stature made him a better player.
The German insisted that the Frenchman is the toughest centre-back he has played against.
Gnabry told German magazine Sport Bild when talking about Koscielny: “He was a really aggressive defender who also had the qualities on the ball.
“If you get past him, he will come back to you anyway.
“I had the toughest duels with him.”
Koscielny has continued to remain a key member of the Arsenal squad despite a career-threatening injury towards the end of last season, which forced him to miss France’s World Cup winning campaign.
