Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has revealed he thought he was ‘still in a dream’ when he learnt of his first France call-up.

Guendouzi was enjoying a nap while on duty with France Under-21s when his coach, Sylvain Ripoll, entered his bedroom.

‘I was having an afternoon nap, someone knocked at my door, but I didn’t hear it, because I was asleep,’ Guendouzi said. ‘Then the coach (Sylvain Ripoll) rang me, he said it was me who knocked etc, so I went to see him directly.

‘He said: ‘We need to speak, I really like you, but you need to go.’

‘I was confused, I was like, where? He said: ‘The A team.’

‘In my head I was like wow, I didn’t believe it initially because 10 minutes earlier I was sleeping. I thought I was still in a dream.

‘Then the coach spoke to me some more, explained the situation that I was with the senior team and it’s a dream.

‘Thankfully I took a shower after, so that it could properly sink in. I think the coach can describe my reaction better than I can, but my eyes popped out of my head.’

Guendouzi has made 52 appearances for Arsenal since joining the club in 2018 but despite his success at club level the news  still came as a shock.

‘It is a big surprise for me today,’ added the Gunners midfielder. ‘This is a dream of mine since I was a kid.

‘This is extraordinary, I think that any French player would want to be in this team.

‘It is ginormous. There aren’t enough words to describe how it feels.’