Arsenal vs Basel - Champions League match preview
The 20-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence since making his debut in the League Cup last year.
This season the young Nigerian already has three Premier League assists and was named man of the match for his display in Saturday's 3-0 win over Chelsea.
“I was almost released at 14, again at 16 and just about got a professional contract after that,” he told the Evening Standard.
“Especially at 14, I thought I was very close to not making it. It was stressful as I was going through school, trying to balance that and make sure I was still signed for Arsenal. It was really difficult for me.
“We usually found out in December who might be kept on but I kept on getting the question ‘is he good enough?’
“So they extended it to see if I could do something and it went to March and then April. Luckily I did enough.
“At 16 I got the option to leave but I always felt at home at Arsenal and that was where I wanted to be. At 16, there were a lot of good players, a few internationals in the team at a young age so it was difficult for me to stand out in the games.
“They always want the best and I wasn’t really up there at that age. The fact that I kept getting chances makes me feel lucky.”