Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has demanded that Raheem Sterling step up to earn minutes as he refused to use the winger’s age as an excuse.
The Spaniard said during his press conference ahead of the Gunners’ London derby with West Ham United that the winger knows that there is a high demand for minutes among the side, but he must try and compete “regardless of what the circumstances are.”
Sterling’s summer move from Chelsea to Arsenal on a late loan deal raised some eyebrows – and so far, his time at the Emirates Stadium has seen limited playing time. Despite the excitement around his transfer, he hasn’t featured as much as many expected, with just 285 Premier League minutes to his name so far.
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Even with Chelsea’s current predicament with Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been suspended after failing a doping test, it could have made sense for the Blues to recall Sterling during the January transfer window – something they did with Trevor Chalobah.
But it was telling that the Blues opted to leave Sterling at Arsenal until the summer at least.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Raheem Sterling and his future at Arsenal?
Arteta, who worked with the former England international at Manchester City, was asked by reporters why Sterling has not replicated the form he had at the Etihad so far.
“With Man City, he was playing every minute, every competition, and every game. With us, we were very aware that would not be the case from day one. The most beautiful part of the season is still to come so there are going to be opportunities.
“Raheem is so experienced, and like many other players, we know that what you did yesterday is not whether it was really good or not,” he said. “That could be relevant to the next game, to the next action. He’s fully focused, he’s trained really well this week and [is] ready to go again.”
Asked whether he felt the 30-year-old still has a part to play at Arsenal, Arteta said: “Yes and he has to have it because we really need him.”
“We are all behind him, we are the best for him and it’s going to be really important and we need his best. And we need the players only with that mindset to be here to impact the team.”
