The Uruguayan, who has won three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies, went to Real’s youth system instead.
He admitted that a decade ago, when Arsene Wenger was at Arsenal, he had a week-long trial at the club.
“I was 16,” the midfielder told Marca, reflecting on the trial.
“That's it. This is my club. I'm going to grow here (at Arsenal).
“In Uruguay, the Premier League is watched a lot. I imagined a future there. I enjoyed it and trained with spectacular players.
“I don't know English and they had to explain all the work to me.”
“I don't know if he'll remember me, but Dibu (Martinez) was one of the ones who helped me the most with everything, along with Bellerin, Alexis and Cazorla,” he continued.
“I didn't know English and they had to explain all the work to me.
“I was already competing with big people in the Uruguayan league. I felt that I was ready for a higher step.”
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