Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker has said that he is "grateful and very humble" to have been given a chance to play under Arsene Wenger.
The German centre-back was speaking shortly after Wenger officially announced that he will bow out as manager next month, bringing an end to his 22-year spell.
Mertesacker has revealed that the long-serving boss made the announcement to his players at the club's London Colney training base, leaving him and his teammates in a state of shock.
"We have just been informed basically and it's quite emotional," he told Arsenal's official website. "Obviously he has been at the club such a long time, he has been so supportive to me. One major reason why I'm here is because of him. It's been emotional and there will be time to digest it but it's a sad feeling right now.
"He's the major figure for this club, more than 20 years, it's been so impressive to me and he's trusted me so much in my career, giving me the opportunity to play here, making me captain even when I was injured and giving me a future role here at the club so I'm very grateful and very humble for the opportunity he gave to me.
"It is a sad day to me but we're moving forward to the future. It's in Arsene's interests as well that we will bring positive memories to the fans and to the people."
Wenger has so far won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups at Arsenal, including the double in 1998 and 2002, and could add a Europa League crown to his collection in May.
