Intense competition for places at Arsenal means forward Alex Iwobi has never taken his place in manager Arsene Wenger's team for granted, the dynamic young Nigeria winger has said.

Iwobi made a fine start to the current campaign and has become an integral part of Arsenal's attack, having developed a promising understanding with their influential Chile winger Alexis Sanchez and creative Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil.

"If you don't do as well as you think you could have done, there are other players, other internationals, great players, that can just step in," the 20-year-old Iwobi told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

Despite impressing on the left wing for the north London club, Iwobi's lack of killer instinct in front of goal has been highlighted by the fact that he has failed to score in 14 appearances in all competitions this season.

"So you just have to take the chance all the time and do your best when the time comes. The big thing is you need to stay fit and always need to give it your all," he added.

"I mean, you've got to have the right attitude, you've got to be mentally prepared for whatever happens. Not everything is going to be smooth sailing for you so you've got to be prepared for all conditions."

Iwobi will hope to break his season's scoring duck when Arsenal, who are fourth in the Premier League, play sixth-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

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