Mikel Arteta has hinted that Arsenal’s Alex Runarsson could make his first Premier League start against Aston Villa, with his comments to the club’s official website.
Runarsson has played second fiddle to Bernd Leno all season and he seemed to slip further down the pecking order in January, when Arsenal brought in Matthew Ryan.
However, with Leno now suspended and Ryan a doubt with injury, Arsenal could be forced to turn to Runarsson against Villa on Saturday.
Arteta said: “He [Ryan] has not been available to train yet, and Alex is available, so we will have the choice between the two of them for the weekend.
“If Mat is able to train, and they are both fit, we will have a decision to make. If Mat is not fit, obviously Alex will be in goal.”
Runarsson actually did a fairly solid job after coming on for Arsenal in their last match against Wolves.
However, there will be concerns if the 25-year-old does get the nod to start against Villa.
Runarsson has not looked fully convincing throughout his time in an Arsenal shirt, and on his last start he put in a disastrous performance.
Runarsson put in an error prone display against Manchester City, which saw the Gunners crash out of the League Cup, and Arteta’s side will be desperate to avoid a repeat showing of that standard on Saturday.
If Arsenal can beat Villa they could move up to seventh in the Premier League table, depending on how other results go.
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