Mohamed Elneny hopes his arrival at Arsenal will help boost the reputation of Egyptian football even more in England.
Elneny became Arsenal's first Egyptian player when he joined the club from Basel last week, and follows in the footsteps of countrymen like former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah and Hull's Ahmed Elmohamady to play in the Premier League.
"I am very keen to work hard in the Premier League -- that's for my own reputation and Egypt's reputation -- and to show everyone that Egyptian players are capable of playing very well in the Premier League," Elneny told the Arsenal website.
Elneny said his transfer to Arsenal has been big news in his home country, and that he has spoken to both Salah and Elmohamady to learn what to expect in England. He was on the bench against Stoke on Sunday and is still waiting to make his debut for the Gunners.
"I did ask them what it is like in the Premier League. They mentioned that playing the Premier League is a unique experience and a bit different, but I am well prepared for this experience and up for it," Elneny said.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he bought Elneny because of his versatility, as the midfielder can play in both a purely defensive role and as a box-to-box player. He is known for his tireless running ability, a trait he puts down to the long hours he spent playing football in the streets back home in Egypt as a child.
"We would play in the hot weather for more than 10 hours sometimes. That is very normal in Egypt," Elneny said. "I was the same as any Egyptian kid because we all have a very strong passion for football. We would head straight to the football grounds as soon as we left the classroom."
Elneny's father is a football coach in his hometown of Almahalah and taught his son to love football at an early age.
"He has a big passion for football and he always made sure that I accompanied him at every match he had been to, and the training sessions as well. He always had the dream and loved to see me as a footballer," Elneny said.
"My mother, she would accompany me in every club I went to. Since I was born my parents wanted to see me as a footballer and they are behind this passion I have for football. I sensed their support at home. It's really nice to see that they love your job or the job you love to do, and that really helped me a lot."