Gary Neville has said on his podcast that Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe is not as reliable as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
The Sky Sports pundit made the comments about Pepe following Arsenal’s win against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby this past weekend.
The Gunners won the Premier League game 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Saka, Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard started behind striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang, Saka and Smith Rowe scored.
Pepe, 26, was left on the substitutes’ bench.
Former Manchester United defender Neville believes that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta left Pepe out of the starting lineup against Tottenham because of his work ethic.
Neville said about Pepe on his podcast: “And probably the least reliable in terms of work ethic out of that three.
“Odegaard is the number 10, and I think Smith Rowe and Saka, to be fair, have got far better application in terms of the pressing bit which is really important in setting the tone with Aubamayeng.”
Struggles ahead for Nicolas Pepe?
Pepe is a good winger, but the 26-year-old has had issues with consistency.
The Arsenal no.19 has given one assist in four Premier League appearances so far this season.
Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard played well against Tottenham in the North London derby.
It is hard to see Arteta change the front-four in the coming weeks if they continue to do well.
Pepe will now have to work extremely hard to get into the Arsenal starting lineup.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
