Mikel Arteta
Reuters

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has expressed an interest in a managerial role, once he calls time on his playing career. The Spaniard, who has been a revelation for the Gunners since signing from Everton last season, has flourished this year as well, albeit in a deeper midfield role.

The 30 year old former Barcelona youth player has yet to appear for the national team and as a result was given some much-needed rest during the international break. He will be back in action with the Gunners on 20 October, when they travel to Carrow Road to play Norwich City.

"I have thought about it a lot and we will see what happens one day. It's still early for that [decision]. Obviously you're starting to get a few things from different managers and players and a key thing is they can help," he told the club's official Web site.

Arteta, who earlier spoke about the tactical transformations in his own game, has been critical to the Gunners' ability to retain and recycle possession - a trademark of Arsene Wenger's game - and club statistics suggest the Spaniard's accuracy in passing rivals the likes of Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi Hernandez. However, he was quick to admit it was one thing to play as an individual and another entirely to manage a team of individuals.

"To manage a group of players nowadays with 10 or 15 different countries involved with different personalities is a difficult thing to do. I have thought about it a lot and we will see what happens one day. It's still early for that [decision]. Obviously you're starting to get a few things from different managers and players and a key thing is they can help," he explained, referring to his working under Wenger and his time at Goodison Park and with Real Sociedad (in Spain) and Celtic.

"If you have 24 players, every one is different. One of the biggest mistakes I've seen is when you treat everyone the same. People say 'everyone has to be the same' - they have to be the same in certain roles, but everyone is different," he explained, adding, "Sometimes you need to pinch someone because you know he has the character. He can involve the rest if he pushes and raises his level in the game. You have to recognise those characters and I think that's a very difficult part of football management."