‘He’ll have his chance’: Arteta says Arsenal youngster’s going to play soon

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has suggested that he will give Eddie Nketiah his chance in the future, as it hurts so much to leave him out.

Speaking at his press conference yesterday, which was covered by Arsenal’s official website, Arteta was questioned about Nketiah’s future – following links with West Ham United emerging in the Daily Star this week.

Nketiah has badly struggled for game time at the Emirates Stadium of late, with a number of options ahead of him in the pecking order.

But Arteta has suggested that Nketiah isn’t completely out of his plans, and he will be given another chance to play again soon.

“Well, when we’re talking about management, this is one of the hazards to leave someone like Eddie out of the squad, but at the moment everybody has been fit and we have so many options upfront,” he said.

“But it hurts as well because of how Eddie behaves and trains every day and because he’s a player from our academy, but he will have his chance.

“He needs to be patient and he’s showing no signs of lacking attitude or anything like that, it’s the complete opposite. He’s a joy to work with and he deserves minutes and if he doesn’t get it, it’s just my fault.”

Arteta also went on to suggest that he would hold an honest conversation with Nketiah about his future when the chance arrived.

“He needs to play and we’ve been wanting to use him a little bit more on some occasions and we didn’t,” he added.

“To be fair, when he’s played, he’s played well, but at his age and for what he’s done the last two or three seasons, he needs more minutes. It’s something we have to talk about openly and make the right decision.”

Nketiah’s challenge of breaking back into Arsenal’s team currently looks difficult, as both Pierre Emerick and Alexandre Lacazette have shown solid form recently.

Aubameyang has five goals in his last three starts, while Lacazette has proven his use as a covering option.

Arteta also has Gabriel Martinelli to use from the bench, with the Brazilian youngster now fighting fit, meaning Arsenal’s attacking options look strong.

But Arsenal do have a busy fixture schedule coming up, which could mean that rotation is key. The Gunners are next in action against Burnley on Saturday.