Unai Emery of Arsenal admits that Laurent Koscielny could leave – and he plays an important role for Rob Holding

Unai Emery admitted that he considered Rob Holding as one of his "five captains".

Emery admitted for the first time that Arsenal could lose Laurent Koscielny because of his contract, which means looking for more leaders while Petr Cech and Aaron Ramsey both left the club this summer.

England prospect Holding, 23, currently in full training after seven months of absence following a ligament injury to the knee, is an extremely popular figure at the club and is considered a future captain.

Granite Xhaka is the favorite to get Koscielny's armband for this season, but Emery's management philosophy includes selecting four other players in a leadership group.

Gunner boss Emery said, "I want an English player in these five captains. Last year, Xhaka, Mesut and Nacho were working as captains. But after the departure of Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech – and perhaps Laurent Koscielny – I will want more.

"An English player who has grown up in our academy can understand the English spirit and the values ​​of Arsenal. These are the qualities and more [we want].

"We lost players with great experience and a long time in England and Arsenal like Cech and Ramsey. We also lost Koscielny. They started to captain when they were young.

"We have young, experienced players, players starting for the first time to be considered captains. If we choose a player, he has the ability and deserves the opportunity to be captain.

"(I am looking for) a leadership experience, an example on and off the pitch, a character and communication with the coach and other players, the ability to speak and be there for the fans, good connection and good communication with the club. "

Holding is hoping to play a pre-season game – presumably after the US Arsenal tour – and still has to face a race to be in shape for the start of the Premier League campaign.

But Emery is delighted with his progress and re-education after the knee injury at Manchester United last December.

Emery said, "We are really pleased with his progress. He started training with us a few days ago. We will do a process to let him play little by little. We need his performances as a central defender.

"When he was injured, he was really playing with great performances. We are looking forward to seeing him with us and other injured players like Hector Bellerin, [Konstantinos] Mavropanos and Emile Smith Rowe. We are waiting [Holding] come back with us with its quality. "

In the United States, Emery wants to use young players. Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson have had minutes against Bayern Munich, seven teenagers have been engaged against Colorado Rapids and more will have chances against Fiorentina and Real Madrid in the next two games.

The opposition at the highest level of the tournament of the International Champions Cup is a good experience for them and Emery says that the whole tradition of Arsenal is based on the development of young players.

Emery said, "The season has different times, one in pre-season, where we do not have all the players. We are preparing for matches where the results are not the most important.

"Young players can show their ability with us and gain confidence at a high level. They can then earn more minutes and a better solution with us for the present and the future.

"We're really happy with every young player because of his commitment to us, it's very high. The performance yesterday, every young player played with a big performance against Bayern Munich.

"Others played the same way in Denver with a good result. We will face young players against Fiorentina, we seek to see them progress.

"Throughout my career, I have used young players and helped them organize regular matches in the first team. Here is the same thing. It needs time. At the moment, it's good to see them train with us, at the hotel with us, in a match with us.

"Arsenal in its present and future history needs young players with good spirit, experience and ability to play and enter the first team regularly."

Emery also added that he was satisfied with the new Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli. He said: "We have a great commitment with the young players from our own academy and our scouts. Martinelli is a young player and he is currently training very well with us.

"We want to do a process with him, it started two weeks ago with us to train and play games. We will work with him on this progress, giving him chances and he deserves more minutes, he will have them. "