From Bolton relegation to FA Cup glory: Rob Holding on a 'crazy' year at Arsenal

Rob Holding was 'lost for words' after a dramatic season with Arsenal which ended with him lifting the FA Cup trophy at Wembley.

Holding became a surprise starter in Arsene Wenger's new-look three-man defence towards the end of the season, impressing as the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel and Shkodran Mustafi were hit by injuries and suspensions.

The 21-year-old managed to limit Diego Costa to one goal in Saturday's FA Cup Final against Chelsea as Arsenal won 2-1 to lift the trophy for the third time in four years.

Holding was signed by Arsenal last summer after being relegated from the Championship with Bolton, and the young defender could not believe how his debut season with the Gunners had panned out having been left contemplating League One football 12 months ago.

"When we were celebrating at the end, I just sat down and thought, 'Last year I was devastated at Derby when I got relegated with Bolton'," he said.

"To go from that to winning the FA Cup in the space of a year is crazy.

"I’m lost for words really. When the final whistle went, it was a crazy feeling.

"I never thought I’d experience it but we got the job done. Hopefully there’s more to come."

Holding coped well in numerous duels with Costa, and thanked club captain Per Mertesacker - who made his first start of the 2016/17 season in the Final - for helping him lead Arsenal to glory.

"If [Costa] gets one in 90 minutes, I’ve done my job," he said. "They’re a strong team as we’ve seen over the season and they’ve won a lot of games in the Premier League.

"We knew it would be a tough game but we managed to keep our high intensity, pressed them high and didn’t let them play.

"It’s the first time Per and I have played with each other apart from in training. A guy like Per has won the World Cup so he’s going to make it comfortable for me as well. He’s a quality player."