Young, talented, versatile and a team player - Alexander Hleb epitomises the qualities that have lifted Arsenal to the top of the Barclays Premier League. Arsène Wenger, who signed the Belarus midfield player from VfB Stuttgart in 2005 after a year-long pursuit, has always known it and the pundits and punters are starting to recognise it, too.

Wenger recently proclaimed the present Arsenal team as the finest he has managed. Hleb concurs. “This is the best team I’ve played with,” he said. “It’s a team full of young stars. I’m pleased to be part of it. Everyone wants to play for each other. I agree with Wenger that this is the best year so far, though I don’t want to put a curse on it.

“We’ve made a great start to the season. There is now a strong core of players - players like [Tomas] Rosicky, Cesc [Fàbregas], [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Emmanuel] Eboué, [Mathieu] Flamini and myself - who know each other well. We enjoy playing together and we all want to make it fun for the supporters.

“Arsenal are Arsenal. We always play beautiful football. But we’ve also been very compact in defence and midfield. We’re keeping a lot of clean sheets and we want to keep it that way.”

Although he will not say so directly, Hleb echoes the growing realisation that Thierry Henry’s summer departure to Barcelona has lifted a burden off many of his former teammates. The fact is that when the France forward was on the pitch, those around him were often reduced to water-carriers, albeit gilt-edged ones.

“When Thierry was here the focus was on him - we all tried to find him with the ball,” Hleb said. “Now we all try to find each other with the ball and we’re passing it around very quickly. There’s no star complex with the team. We have a real family spirit.”

Hleb believes that Arsenal’s refusal to spend big in the summer is more than compensated for by the fact that they have so many versatile players in their ranks. “We haven’t spent a lot of money, but what we do have is a group of young talents who play well together and a good system into which new players can fit,” he said.

“We’ve got Eboué who can play right back or right midfield, Rosicky who can play left or right midfield or in the centre, and [Theo] Walcott left, right or central attack. I think the fact that there are so many ‘universal’ players - players who can change positions, even during a match - is a big plus.”

If versatility is one of Arsenal’s main virtues, it applies to none more than Hleb. As well as switching between both flanks, he has also been deployed more centrally, behind a lone forward, which is where he is expected to start today, against Manchester United, dropping off Adebayor. “I have learnt with Arsène to play in a central attacking role, left or right and also to take on more defensive duties,” he said.

Hleb’s ability as a creator of chances has never been in doubt. One criticism that was levelled at him during his first two seasons was a lack of cutting edge in front of goal. However, this season, in addition to regular assists - the latest for Fàbregas’s equaliser at Anfield on Sunday - the Belarussian has been weighing in with his share of the goals, with three so far, although he believes that it should be four, after a deflected strike in the 7-0 win over Slavia Prague was chalked up as an own goal.

“Last season, the manager and my agent, Nikolai Spilevski, both told me I should shoot more often,” Hleb said. “I would often pass the ball when I had a chance to score myself. Now I am going for goal more often and it’s producing results.”

Hleb has 2½ years remaining on his contract at the Emirates, but reports this week speculated that he is likely to be rewarded with an extended deal. He is keen to steer clear of such chat and focus on the football, although the impression is that he would sign up for life, given the chance. “All I am interested in is playing for Arsenal,” Hleb said. “I love this club with all my heart. They are like my family.”