Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed to Football.London that he thinks Shkodran Mustafi has ‘done really well’ in training in recent sessions.
The Gunners may have returned to the pitch on Thursday following their defeat to Manchester City last weekend, but the German remained an unused substitute for the contest against Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League.
Arsenal would end up winning the contest 2-1 as goals from David Luiz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were enough to overturn the Taxiarchis Fountas goal that they conceded shortly after the restart. If bettors find themselves needing to restart, there are a number of betting apps that they can use to improve their gambling experience.
Luiz and Gabriel Magalhaes started – and finished – the encounter as Arteta’s central pairing, thus leaving Mustafi to continue to wait for his chance to feature for the first time this season.
The 28-year-old is one of a few players whose future at the Emirates Stadium are in question, as he has entered the last 12 months of his current deal with the club. However, he could take some confidence that he is still a part of the squad as the likes of Sokratis and Mesut Ozil have both been discarded and are not registered on the 25-man list that has been recently submitted.
Indeed, whilst Mustafi’s future may be in the air, the latest words from Arteta may also provide him with some encouragement about his future at the club in the more immediate days.
The manager noted that the former Germany international has ‘done really well’ in training and now looks fit to play, suggesting that he could fill in for Rob Holding – who is currently nursing a hamstring injury if needed despite being out himself since July.
“We have one or two issues as you know, against City with a few players missing out. We have [Shkodran] Mustafi back after a long injury, he has done really well and looks fit to play,” said Arteta.
Of course, the central pairing that was used in the game against Rapid Wien will likely be the pairing that the Gunners turn to in their match with Leicester City on Sunday, although with games coming thick and fast, perhaps an appearance could be sooner rather than later for Mustafi.
Following their contest with The Foxes, Arsenal will then have meetings with Dundalk in the UEFA Europa League and then a match against Manchester United the following Sunday in the Premier League.
With the game against their fierce rivals likely to be of more importance, perhaps Mustafi will fill in against Irish minnows Dundalk.
