Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had admitted that he always thought Bacary Sagna would make a good centre-back.
The French international was forced into the middle of the defence in the Gunners' 1-0 win over Sunderland following an injury to Laurent Koscielny during the pre-game warm-up.
Wenger told the club's official website: "I always thought he could play there one day. We pushed him in this position in training. What he showed in training was encouraging. He had no preparation.
"He was told 10 minutes before the start of the game and he dealt very well with that situation, so that's very positive."
Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League and are four points behind Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League qualifying spot.
