Joel Lopez travelled with Arsenal’s squad to Sheffield United despite not playing, according to the Athletic.
Arsenal only have a limited set of options at left-back currently, following an injury to Kieran Tierney.
Granit Xhaka actually started on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s defence on Sunday evening, in what was a shock selection.
And it seems that Lopez may be viewed as a potential option to use before the end of the season.
The teenager has impressed for Arsenal’s development squad this season, and would be a natural choice to step into the side.
Arsenal’s next game comes against Slavia Prague in the Europa League, and Arteta surely won’t use the youngster is such a pressurised game.
But the Gunners could yet turn to him in a Premier League game before the end of the season, if Mikel Arteta feels the need to rest the likes of Xhaka or Bukayo Saka.
Lopez has been training with Arsenal’s first-team for much of 2021 so far, so he will be no stranger to the senior players at this point.
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