Arsenal loan player Carl Jenkinson praises his old school days

West Ham loan star Carl Jenkinson, made his first start for West Ham in the 2-0 victory over QPR on Sunday and will be with the England under-21s for their two vital Euro Championships play-off clashes with Croatia.

But the Arsenal man certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots.

He attended the Davenant Foundation School in Loughton as a youngster and he was full of praise for their help in his development.

“It was a bit more of a rugby school than a football one, but luckily the head teacher and the sports coaches there recognised I had a bit of ability on the footballing front and embraced it,” he explained.

“They let me have the odd day off to train and develop and I have always been grateful to the school for acknowledging the fact that I had a chance to make it as a footballer.”