Arteta says youngster could continue to play a part for Arsenal this season after impressive debut | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has not ruled out more game time this season for youngster Andre Harriman-Annous after his solid debut performance against Brighton.

One of 10 changes from the team that beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, Harriman-Annous made his senior debut up front, and it was his rebounded shot that Bukayo Saka lashed home for the second goal. 

Asked if there might be more time on the pitch for the 17-year-old, Arteta said: “I think it’s going to be driven by how well he’s doing, the way he trains with us, when he plays with under-23s, if he’s in our squad and if he’s got that, whatever the team needs it, whatever the conditions or the context is, he will have a chance.”

Given the number of players Arsenal have already lost to injury this season, and the problems injuries have caused them in later stages of recent campaigns, Arteta acknowledged that although rotation is difficult, it would be one of the key factors in avoiding the disappointments of recent seasons, alongside making the most of their chances.

“Efficiency is one of [the factors],” he said. “We went to Milan [last season] and in my opinion we deserved to win the game. We lost it and we got a penalty that in my opinion wasn’t a penalty. You can go like this and sometimes the opponent is better.

“We went to Newcastle and we struggled for big parts. So we went this year and we played much better and I think we deserved to win the game. Hopefully when you cannot win make sure you learn from those moments and try to be better next time,” he added.

Although the Spaniard claimed not to be thinking about Chelsea’s defensive record from the 2004/05 season, where they conceded just 15 goals, he recognised the importance of his team’s impressive defensive performances.

“[The defence] is going to give us a platform to win matches that is formidable because we have so much talent as well and our attacking threat from different ways is pretty good so if we maintain that the chances will increase.”