Serge Gnabry has tormented Bundesliga defenders for the best part of six years in the colours of three different German clubs, but his senior career actually started in the red of Arsenal.
Enticed to north London while still a teenager in 2011, Gnabry spent one year in the Gunners academy set-up before he made the transition into the first-team fold.
Desperate to force his way into Arsene Wenger's plans, he did not have to wait long as Gnabry became just the second-youngest player in Arsenal's Premier League history when he featured in the 1-0 away defeat by Norwich City in October 2012 at 17 years and 98 days.
Though the Gunners were beaten by the Canaries, Gnabry clearly made an impression as he was handed his Champions League debut four days later in what was another loss at the hands of Schalke.
The 2012/13 season was one of fleeting moments for Gnabry, handed his debut in different competitions but ultimately the bulk of his time was spent with the U-19 and U-21 squads.
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It was not until the following campaign where he became a far more prominent presence within the squad and a far more familiar face to the Arsenal faithful.
By September of the 2013/14 season, Gnabry had already made his first Premier League start at home to Stoke City in a 3-1 victory that saw fellow German Mesut Ozil shine in front of the home crowd for the first time as an Arsenal player.
The pair would go on to enjoy a close relationship throughout their shared time in north London.
The very next game saw the Gunners make the long trip to Swansea but it was one that was more than worth it for the young forward who bagged what would be his only ever goal for the club in a 2-1 win against the Welsh outfit.
In October, Gnabry ran the show in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to ensure his fine form continued.
Given at this stage Gnabry was still only 18 years of age, the wide-man was hardly expected to be contributing much on the goal-scoring front, the Arsenal fans were simply delighted to see someone so young play so fearlessly.
Wenger's Arsenal sides were renowned for their pass and move approach and while that brought great success, it could often frustrate in equal measure as his team's struggled to penetrate opposition towards the end of his tenure.
Gnabry was a breath of fresh air as he tried to beat whoever was in front of him and take the most direct route to goal, it was that same style that saw the teenager earn himself a nomination for the 2013 Golden Boy award.
His fine form continued at the turn of the calendar year, with the young German delivering a fantastic attacking display when it mattered most during the 2-0 home win over rivals Tottenham in the third round of the FA Cup.
Gnabry came within a whisker of scoring a goal against the Gunners and a constant handful all evening against their north London neighbours.
2014 was touted as the year Gnabry would truly become one of the first names on the Arsenal team-sheet, before a serious knee injury curtailed his entire Gunners career.
He missed the majority of the 2014/15 campaign as a result, making the odd appearance for the U-21 side.
By the time the summer of 2015 came around, Gnabry was so far off the pace when it came to playing for Arsenal, he was subsequently loaned out to West Bromwich Albion.
What followed was undoubtedly the lowest point of Gnabry's career to date.
Deemed not good enough for the Baggies by then-manager Tony Pulis, the winger returned to Arsenal half a season later having failed to make any kind of impact at the Hawthorns.
"Serge has come here to play games but he just hasn’t been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games," Pulis infamously claimed.
"He’s come from academy football and not played much league football — does academy football really prepare players for league football? And we’re talking about Premier League football here.
Reflecting on his time with the player five years later, Pulis could barely believe what Gnabry has gone on to become.
"I’m amazed. We had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit," he explained.
"He even got taken off in an Under-21 game and he went back to Arsenal and they sold him on."
That they did, not even a man as famously mystic Wenger could predict just how good Gnabry would go on to be and allowed the player to leave for Werder Bremen in the summer of 2016.
The Frenchman has since admitted it is a source of deep regret Gnabry wasn't given the time to flourish at the Emirates.
"Let’s not forget Gnabry, I bought him at the age of 15 from Stuttgart and he was injured a lot," Wenger told beIN SPORTS.
"He’s creative, he can score goals, right-footed, left-footed, good power, good penetration, very, very clever with the timing of his runs. His tendency was a bit too easy, like I told you about with young, talented players.
"But he has matured a lot and he is one of the dominant players now in Germany."
Pressed on whether he wanted to let the forward leave, Wenger confessed: "No, no [I didn’t want to let him go]. We had an agreement with him. I had given him out on loan to West Brom and he didn’t play a game, came back, he was injured.
"We worked with him very hard for six months and he went out with the German national team under-21s. Bayern made a deal with Bremen and in the end he didn’t want to extend the contract [at Arsenal].
"I was very sad that we couldn’t get over the line with him because I knew that he would have a great future. He can play No 10, he can be a No 9, he is a very intelligent player."
Gnabry's time at Werder Bremen lasted just one year before he was snapped up by Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich.
Since arriving at the Allianz, the German international has barely looked back but his most memorable performance in the famous red shirt ironically came back in north London.
At the home of Arsenal's local rivals, Gnabry scored a staggering four goals in one game to topple Tottenham 7-2 on their own patch in the Champions League.
The individual accolades and acclaim have followed Gnabry regularly in recent years, but his recent social media activity has sparked speculation an Arsenal return could be imminent.
Donning a retro Gunners shirt for a snap uploaded to Instagram during a time where his club future appears to be up in the air will undoubtedly have Arsenal fans everywhere hoping for a return under the stewardship of Gnabry's former teammate Mikel Arteta.
