Arsenal boss Renee Slegers heaped praise on captain Kim Little following her contract extension and said she feels "very privileged" to work alongside the midfielder.
Little signed a new one-year deal at Arsenal on Thursday that will take her into her 16th year at the club across two spells.
The former Scotland international has made 405 appearances for the club, scoring 177 goals. She has won every trophy on offer across her two stints, and led the club to Women's Champions League glory last season.
Even at the age of 35, Little remains ever-present in the lineup for the Gunners and has made 19 starts for the club in all competitions this season.
When asked if she was involved in the conversations around Little's contract extension, Slegers said: "Personally, I am not in those conversations, so that's all managed through [director of women's football] Clare [Wheatley] and [technical director] Jodie [Taylor]. I think there's a very deep respect both ends, from club to Kim and from Kim to club.
"I just feel very privileged to work with Kim. We are creating something and Kim is a big part of it. I know she's been around for a long time, so she's been so loyal to the club for so long. She's been so consistent for so long, so I highly respect Kim.
"I think what we do at the moment is a lot of collaboration with the captain's group, with Kim, our captain, and get as much input as possible on things. I highly value that. She's such an important part of what we're building."
Arsenal are fresh off a 3-1 defeat of Chelsea in the Women's Champions League quarterfinal first leg and face another big clash at the weekend, when they take on north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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Slegers confirmed that Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord are available after missing out against Chelsea midweek, however Leah Williamson remains sidelined.
The Arsenal boss also said midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross will be spending the rest of the season in Australia with her family owing to her mother's poor heath.
