Real Sociedad defender Nacho Monreal says seeing Mikel Arteta in charge of Arsenal is no surprise.

Monreal played with Arteta at Arsenal under former manager Arsene Wenger.

Asked if he could see Arteta entering coaching, Monreal said, "Me and everyone else. He is a very direct guy, who knows what he wants. He understood the game, he corrected his teammates, regardless of his position on the field. He knew where each one had to be.

"He is a leader, he knows how to transmit, reach the footballer. And he always told us that he wanted to be a coach. When you're really good at something and you work, you get it.

"Going with (Pep) Guardiola was the logical path. He could have continued playing because he retired young, but he was conditioned by injuries to the soleus for the last two years and the call from Pep convinced him."