It appears Matteo Guendouzi is already making quite the impression at Hertha Berlin after his time at Arsenal ended in exile.
The French midfielder was cast into the shadows by Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta after twice falling out with his manager in the space of just five months.
Guendouzi first irked Arteta when the pair were involved in a heated bust-up during a training camp in Dubai, before again testing his patience with his subsequent red card against Brighton.
Arteta eventually opted to leave the youngster out of first-team affairs before shipping him out on loan to Hertha at the start of the season.
And his new manager at the Bundesliga club, Pal Dardai, has admitted tailoring Guendouzi’s hot-tempered nature is still a work in progress.
“It’s like puberty for him, he’s kind of a rebel,” Dardai told Bild . “He has to work and learn like an animal.”
The 21-year-old has so far made 17 appearances for Hertha, 14 of which have been as a starter, though was among the substitutes for their defeat by RB Leipzig at the weekend.
Guendouzi did eventually come on with just over 20 minutes remaining, but almost immediately gifted Leipzig their second goal when he surrendered possession inside his own 18-yard box.
Dardai said: “In training, I always stop these kind of duels because you can’t fall to the ground like this. And, afterwards, he’s mad.”