Matt Turner Admits Moving To Arsenal Was "Risky" But He Thinks Mikel Arteta Can Help Him Improve

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner has admitted that his decision to join Arsenal was "risky" but he is convinced that it will help him become an even better player.

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner has admitted that his decision to join Arsenal was "risky" but he is convinced that it will help him become a better player.

Turner, 28, joined the Gunners from New England Revolution in Major League Soccer this summer.

He had been a first-team regular in MLS since 2018 but is now an understudy to Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates Stadium.

Turner has not played in any of Arsenal's Premier League matches this season but he did feature in the Europa League earlier this month, making his debut in a 2-1 win over FC Zurich.

A late-bloomer, Turner did not even start playing soccer until he was 14.

His development after picking up the sport late has been remarkable. But Turner is adamant that he has not yet peaked.

He told the official MLS website: "I know my ceiling has not yet been reached and it's going to take some hard work, obviously some risky career moves at the end of the day.

"But if I want to get to where I want to get to, I need to get outside of my comfort zone a little bit and that's going to help my sharpness every single day and my approach to the game in general."

Matt Turner joined Arsenal from Major League Soccer this summer :: IMAGO/News Images/Arron Gent

Turner trusts Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to help him improve.

"My game has come a long way since I began at Arsenal," Turner added. "Just the speed and the intensity of everything, every single day.

"Mikel doesn't accept anything except full-gas at training sessions, so you have to bring it every single day, or else you get found out pretty quickly out there on the pitch.

"For me, it's the consistency that I have to bring every day in training, being ready for moments where I'm going to be able to get to play and overall just the speed, technical execution of things, making saves against world-class players every day in training, sometimes getting found out by world-class players in training. But all the while learning."

Turner then gave an example of Arteta's man-management on the training field.

"We were playing a small possession game and it was really, really tight," Turner explained. "I tried to make a pass and I gave the ball away.

"I sort of visually got frustrated and upset and he just came up to me and shoved me. He was basically like, 'I don't want to see that. I don't like seeing that reaction. I want to see you pick yourself up and keep going.'

"I think that really set the tone for my mentality within the club and just to keep going no matter what. If you fail, that's alright. What matters is how you react and not about the failure in itself. That was a really nice moment."

Turner is expected to feature for the USMNT in two friendly matches this month. First up is a clash with Japan in Germany on Friday, before Turner and Co travel to Spain to face Saudi Arabia next Tuesday.