Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says he’s excited by the new signings made this summer, and that he can’t wait for the World Cup winning trio of Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski to return.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash, he said, “It’s really exciting to see players like Alexis come in. It brings a good lift to the squad and I can feel it myself. You want to get to know them and try and impress them.

“You want to gel with them as quickly as possible. We haven’t even seen Mesut Ozil yet and our German World Cup winners.

“When they come back, that will give us another lift. It’s exciting times at the club.”

And although the Wembley game against City is little more than another pre-season fixture, the former Southampton man is taking it seriously.

“It’s definitely something we want to go and win,” he said. “We’re going into the game hoping to win and it is a good chance to look at ourselves before the start of the season.

“It’s a big game in its own right and one we’re approaching really seriously.”