'That's why Alessia Russo's potential is sky high' - Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall reveals 'unique' quality that made Gunners sign England star from Man Utd

• Russo signed for Arsenal for free this summer
• Club had made world-record bid in January
• Gunners boss Eidevall explains why

WHAT HAPPENED? Russo signed for Arsenal after her contract with Manchester United expired earlier this year, with the London club having tried to sign her in the January transfer window for a world record fee. Eidevall has now revealed exactly what it is that made him and the Gunners so desperate to secure the England striker's signature.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Alessia has a lot of different qualities and what might be the unique thing is the combination of these qualities," Eidevall explained, speaking to reporters on Thursday. "She can work hard in defence, and she's clever in defence, but she can also score goals. She's an excellent finisher, both with her head and with her feet. She's a technical player but she can also control the duels and be really physical and protect the ball.

"It's very, very seldom that you see players that can have all the aspects. Usually in football, you have to choose between some of it and that has to be an active choice. But the standard with Alessia and why I think her potential is sky high is that she has all the faces. That also means she has to develop all the faces but she has all of it and that's quite unique."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite making her Arsenal debut just 17 days after playing in England's Women's World Cup final defeat, having been afforded little time off as a result of the schedule, Russo has already scored twice for her new club. The Gunners haven't made a great start to the season, though, losing in the first round of Women's Champions League qualifying and opening their new Women's Super League campaign with a shock defeat to Liverpool.

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WHAT NEXT FOR RUSSO? The England star will come up against former club United on Friday night as Arsenal try to bounce back from a tough few weeks with a big result.