Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin believes Chilean international Alexis Sanches is a true fighter of the game of football.

The Chilean international has been in impressive form this campaign, and has already scored 22 goals and assisted a further 18 from 40 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

The Spanish full back has revealed that Sanchez’s role in the squad stretches further than simply finishing off their chances in the final third.

‘He wants to train hard every day, not just what we have to do on the pitch, but outside of it. Sometimes he’s the first one to tell other players when we’re not giving 100 per cent,’ Bellerin told the Arsenal website.

‘He’s a leader, we have loads of leaders in the dressing room, but he’s the first one to get frustrated. Everyone sees that when he’s not happy, he’s very expressive. Some people don’t show it as much as him, but when we lose or things don’t go well everyone gets frustrated.’

Bellerin went on to praise Sanchez’s winning mentality and he believes it has a positive reaction on the squad, especially in the dressing room.

‘I think the mentality in the team – even though some people don’t express it – it’s the same one. Everyone wants to win, everyone wants to do their best but sometimes things don’t work,’ he added.

‘But it’s true that Alexis is a true fighter, he’s got a great winning mentality and that’s why things are going so well for him.

‘We have a great atmosphere inside the dressing room. When you start losing, that’s when you realise how strong your dressing room is, but even when things are not going well, we have people who lift us up from inside the dressing room and I think that’s really important.’

Arsenal will next take on Crystal Palace when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Monday.

The match at Selhurst Park kicks off at 21:00.