IT WILL be a case of 'Friends Reunited' when Justin Hoyte lines up against his former Arsenal team-mates this evening and, after moving to Sunderland in the summer, the 20-year-old is already watching the next generation of Highbury starlets come to the fore.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has always used the Carling Cup as a breeding ground for his young talent, with five of Hoyte's ten senior appearances for Arsenal coming in the competition.

His line-up for tonight's game will again reflect the pressure his squad is under as it attempts to compete in both the Champions League and the Premiership, as well as underlining the confidence Wenger has in his latest generation of youngsters.

The likes of Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Vito Mannone and Arturo Lupoli might not be household names at the moment, but Hoyte is aware of just how quickly players can move up the pecking order at Highbury.

And with his younger brother, Gavin, currently starring for Arsenal's Under-15s, the versatile full-back will be making sure his current team-mates do not under-estimate the potency of Arsenal's Academy products.

"One of the biggest things about Arsene Wenger has always been that he is willing to give young players a chance if he feels they are ready," said Hoyte, who made way for teenage debutant Dan Smith as Sunderland beat Cheltenham to book their place in the Carling Cup third round, but has been guaranteed a starting spot tonight.

"He did that with me and I will always be grateful for that. Arsenal have a lot of good young players and I am sure they will all be desperately hoping they are named in the side to play Sunderland.

"My younger brother is playing for Arsenal at the moment, for the Under-15s, and he keeps me in touch with some of the young lads who are coming through."

The Hoyte brothers are merely the latest in a long line of sporting stars to have emerged from their family's Hendon base.

The duo's parents were both senior athletes, while their cousin, Jonathan Wall, represents Great Britain in both the triple jump and long jump.

Sunderland's latest left-back could have been an athlete himself after starring as a sprinter during his junior days.

But, when Arsenal came calling after watching him play for his local side, football was always going to come out on top.

"I did a lot of athletics as a youngster," said Hoyte. "I was a sprinter and there was a time when it looked like I might make it doing that.

"In the end, though, I always knew that football was what I wanted to do. There came a time when I had to decide, and I chose to stop athletics so I could concentrate on my football.

"It was never difficult for me to decide that football was going to be my sport. I just really love the game - that was always the career I wanted to be in.

"I can still watch any game of football that's on the TV. With the athletics, I would only watch the major finals - everything else pretty much passed me by."

Last weekend's Tyne-Wear derby certainly didn't pass him by, with Hoyte producing another accomplished display to blunt the threat of Peruvian international Nolberto Solano.

The youngster has grown in stature since making his Sunderland debut at Chelsea last month and admits the move north has given him a new perspective on the game.

"It's opened my eyes a bit because I've realised there is a life away from Arsenal," he admitted. "Sunderland are a very big club and I'm really happy to be here."