'MY FIRST TRAINING SESSION WITH ARSENAL'S INVINCIBLES'

Former Gunners defender Danny Karbassiyoon talks about his journey from player to scout in new book 'The Arsenal Yankee', with Goal serialising in three parts
EXCLUSIVE
Danny Karbassiyoon joined Arsenal in 2003 and became the first and only American to score for the club when he netted against Manchester City in the League Cup.
Karbassiyoon was forced to retire from football four years later after sustaining a serious knee injury but now works as the Gunners' North American-based scout and is the man who brought Joel Campbell and Gedion Zelalem to north London.
Goal will be serialising his new book, The Arsenal Yankee, in three parts as Danny describes in detail the highs and lows of playing professional football, before explaining his journey from player to scout.
"YOU'RE TRAINING WITH THE FIRST TEAM TODAY"
As all the reserves jogged out of the building towards the pitch we would be training on that day, a steady rain fell and grey clouds blanketed the North London sky. When we reached Eddie, he quickly said: "Danny, you are training with the first team today. Go and join up with them now." I wish someone had taken a picture of my face when his words registered in my brain because it probably would have been priceless. Several of my new 'team-mates' wished me luck and I started the two-minute jog towards the first-team pitches. Everything was happening so fast and I couldn't believe what I would be doing for the next hour-and-a-half.
As I rounded the bend that opened up to the first-team pitches, I noticed all sorts of photographers, video cameramen, and journalists lined up behind a thin rope next to one of the sidelines on my left. When I crept into their peripheral vision, it was like a command had been shouted and every camera turned quickly and had me as the target. Apparently it was media day at the club, which was a big deal because it was the first and only day that the media was allowed into the complex for video, interviews, and pictures. They must have thought that I was some sort of big-time signing that the Boss had somehow managed to keep a secret up until now. They didn't realise it was just me, Danny Karbassiyoon, a boy from Roanoke, Virginia, who was trying to comprehend everything that was taking place while trying to look as confident as he possibly could.