Aaron Ramsey says the influence of current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been instrumental in shaping his reign as Wales captain.
The midfielder has replaced the talismanic Gareth Bale as Rob Page's new skipper, and led his side out for what was superb 1-1 draw with Croatia in Split on Saturday night.
Arteta captained Arsenal while playing alongside the midfielder, and his influence clearly left a mark on the Welshman, whose efforts to lead his country into a new era continue against Latvia on Tuesday.
"Mikel was my captain for a few years there," he said. "You could see his leadership qualities and the way he handled himself was second to none.
"What he's doing now you could see back then. You could see back then he was going to be a manager one day in the way he thought and saw the game, and how intense he was as well. It's unbelievable what he's done there, and what they're doing at the moment."
Saturday was Ramsey's first game as Wales captain for over a decade, but the prospect of taking over from Bale, who will bid farewell to the Red Wall before Tuesday night's clash at Cardiff City Stadium, is one he's clearly relishing.
"I was a lot more nervous last time that's for sure!" he said. "I've experienced a lot of things over those 12 years. It feels right now. I feel I'm ready to take this opportunity and grab it with both hands. A really proud moment for me and hopefully we can have a special campaign.
"It felt absolutely unbelievable to lead the boys out again. Great occasion. Great stadium. Great team. We expected them to have a lot of the ball and the game plan we set out to have before the game worked well. We left it quite late, but we managed to come away with something, which is massive for us and keeps up the momentum."
Wales boss Rob Page has similarly been pleased by Ramsey's impact on the rest of the group, adding his influence on the young players in particular has been especially pleasing.
“He’s mixed it up a little bit," Page said when asked about Ramsey's influence on the dressing room.
“He’s been very good with the young players on the pitch and in dressing room.
“He’s enjoying it and embracing it. He’s a world-class player and that’s why he is going to continue to be in squad and why he only played 60 minutes v Croatia.
“We’ve been able to keep him relatively fit.”
Meanwhile, Page has confirmed that Brennan Johnson will not join up with the squad, and hasn't spoken further with Nottingham Forest over his current condition.
Page was angered by Forest's handling of the forward before the current international break, and has ruled out any possibility of a late call-up ahead.
“No we’ve dealt with Brennan, I’ve aired my frustration," he said.
“Wales fans want to see Brennan play for Wales, but there is no chance of him coming back for Tuesday.”
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