Reiss Nelson had been told about the atmosphere at Red Star Belgrade’s Rajko Mitić Stadium.
He would have been warned that many players more experienced than him have frozen after walking out of the tunnel to be greeted by 55,000 boisterous home supporters.
Quite frankly those same home fans may as well have been on mute because the 17-year-old played never once appeared nervous or concerned by his surroundings.
Reiss Nelson showed composure in what was meant to be an intimidating environment
Perhaps he took inspiration from one of his sporting idols. Before Thursday’s Europa League tie, Nelson had spoken of his admiration for UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
He listed McGregor’s work rate, desire to win and his ‘aura’ as qualities that set him apart from other sporting personalities.
Indeed, Nelson demonstrated some of his own fighting spirit when Nemanja Radonjic raced down the left side to get to a diagonal pass.
Nelson has spoken about how UFC fighter Conor McGregor is one of his sporting idols
Nelson, playing at right wing back, anticipated what was going to happen moments earlier and slid in to halt the opposition’s counter.
The youngster, who joined Arsenal’s academy aged 10, is a forward by trade. His performance in attack when the Gunners won 4-2 away at BATE Borisov last month prompted Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown to compare his first touch with that of Neymar.
His quality on the ball was evident as he drove forward down the right wing before linking up tidily with Theo Walcott.
Nelson, playing as a right wing back, did well to control Red Star winger Nemanja Radonjic
But it was his duel with Serbian winger Radonjic that showed the versatility of a player who is in the early stages of his professional career.
In the 31st minute he scrambled back to his own six-yard area as Red Star Belgrade broke forward.
The ball reached Radonjic at the far post. He was initially denied by Petr Cech before Nelson closed him down as the 21-year-old tried to score at the second attempt.
He has been one of the youngsters – along with Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles – who has been trusted by manager Arsene Wenger during the club’s Europa League adventure this season.
Nelson rarely dived in unnecessarily and showed patience when marking Radonjic
His defensive capabilities may have been proven in the first half but he was given the green light in the second period to get forward and support the attack.
It was from his probing run into the box that Arsenal nearly took the lead from just four minutes after the interval.
He turned Radonjic and forced goalkeeper Milan Borjan to turn the ball behind for an Arsenal corner.
Being trusted by Wenger at such a young age is a major positive but it’s clear his team-mates have confidence in him, too.
The 17-year-old played the full game against Red Star on Thursday as a right wing back
When Arsenal were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Red Star box, Jack Wilshere turned to Nelson and gave him the ball.
He could have said no. He didn’t. And it really shouldn’t matter that his effort went straight into wall because at least it showed that he is prepared to have a go and also isn’t afraid to make mistakes.
Like all young players he will learn. The yellow card he received after a silly tackle in the closing stages with Arsenal leading 1-0 will have been a reminder of that.