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Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has been tipped to excel in another role for the Gunners.
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Arsenal have battled injuries to key players since the start of the season, but they have been able to stay competitive and nick results across all competitions this season.
One of the Gunners who has missed a chunk of the games this term – Emile Smith Rowe – has suffered an injury setback and is expected to be out until December.
Zinchenko, who himself has struggled to stay fit in recent games, has now been tipped to feature in a surprising position until the return of the Academy graduate.
THE LATEST: PUNDIT’S PREDICTION
GOAL’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts has suggested that Arteta could use Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left wing.
Although Watts admitted that the former Manchester City man won’t be the “number one option”, he still has the capacity to “do a job there”.
Watts said on his YouTube channel: “You could potentially play Zinchenko high.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be the number one option because Mikel obviously likes him at left back and he likes him moving into that left midfield role.
“He’ll do a job there because he’s a very talented footballer, his technique’s excellent, his left foot is excellent and there’s no doubt he’ll do a job there.
“But, you know, he’s not really an out and out left-winger, is he?
“We know that he’s more of a left-back / midfielder, but you might have to go with that if you want to give Martinelli a breather.”
“Whether you really want to play him on the left-hand side of a front three is another thing.”
THE VERDICT: NOT NEEDED
Gabriel Martinelli has been playing regularly and has made the left-wing position his own. One thing is certain though, it would be difficult to see him keep up this form till the end of the season. Mikel Arteta will need to fix players up in that position at some point this term and Zinchenko can’t be the first option.
Despite the lack of enough wingers in the squad, Arteta can still deploy other forwards in that role instead of the Ukrainian.
