He may be better known for winning Olympic gold medals in athletics, but it has been revealed that former sprinter Michael Johnson has been helping out younger players from Arsenal.

The club have been talking about how they have been sending a selection of some of the younger Gunners to the athletics performance school that American sports legend Johnson runs just outside of Dallas, Texas in the United States. The aim is to improve the speed, power and strength of Arsenal's young generation, in order to help break them into the first team.

Johnson, the former 200m world record holder, made a visit to an Arsenal training session ahead of the team's Champions League match against Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

Despite Johnson's presence yesterday, Arsene Wenger says that the former sprinter has "no official role at the club."

Wenger also explained the benefits of such training.

"If I can run at the same pace but can gain power, every-time I push I gain five or one inch more - I will be quicker if I can repeat the frequency of my movement," he said.

Spanish defender Ignasi Miquel was the latest Arsenal youngster to visit Johnson's school.

However despite the defender attending a school run by a man who was one of the fastest in the world, Wenger joked that although Miquel has come back from the school faster, he is still "not fast enough to win a gold medal."

Arsenal's Champions League match against Olympiakos kicks off at 7.45 pm.