Malik Tillman has asked to sign for Arsenal, his stats prove Gunners should listen

Malik Tillman admitted in an interview earlier this year that he "would love to play for" Arsenal at some point in his career.

If the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder continues to perform as he has done at the World Cup for the United States, that calibre of interest will not be far away.

The co-hosts beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Thursday to reach the last 16, where they will play Belgium on Tuesday.

Former Arsenal man Folarin Balogun netted the opener and was later sent off, before Tillman secured the United States' place with a superb free-kick.

The 24-year-old played a major part in his teammate's goal, too, with his pass deflecting into Balogun's path before he turned and scored.

Tillman has reportedly told Leverkusen that he is keen to leave this summer, although new manager Carles Martinez Novell may be keen to convince him otherwise.

Malik Tillman impresses in stats vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tillman, primarily an attacking midfield but also capable of playing on the left, joined Leverkusen last summer from PSV.

There, the 24-year-old had scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists in just 73 games across all competitions.

Leverkusen paid around £30million to sign the United States international, but a debut season in which he scored eight goals across all competitions also saw him lose his place in the starting XI.

Tillman has been proving his ability on the grandest stage at the World Cup, however, and Thursday's display was perhaps his best yet.

As well as scoring, the Nurnberg-born talent created a chance, completed two successful dribbles and won two free-kicks.

His defensive work was superb - three tackles, two clearances, six recoveries and nine duels won.

If Arsenal were watching, they would have been massively impressed by Tillman's display.

Tillman's Arsenal plea

Speaking to Bleacher Report in February, Tillman was asked who his favourite Premier League team are.

He said he did not have one, initially, but then admitted: "If there was one club I would love to play for, it's Arsenal."

Asked to expand, the midfielder said: "One thing is the way they play now, they have a good coach, they have a great system and I think I would fit into it."

It remains to be seen whether Tillman's pleas have been heard by Arsenal, but he is certainly making his case.