'We Will Be Forced To Use Some Of Them'- Arsenal Coach Gives Hope To Balogun, Bola

Published: June 16, 2020

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has confirmed that promising youngsters will be considered for first-team roles for the remainder of the season due to the fixture congestion, with the Gunners playing five games in fifteen days.

The North London club face Manchester City on Wednesday, June 17, then another Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday, June 20, followed by games against Southampton (June 25), Sheffield United (June 28) and Norwich City (July 1).

Two Nigerian youngsters Folarin Balogun and Tolaji Bola have trained with the Arsenal first team several times this season and could be in contention to make their professional debuts.

A popular player for the U23 squad, the 18-year-old Balogun was a non-playing substitute when Arsenal faced Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in September, and the same goes for left-back cum central defender Bola.

On if new Premier League rules will give more young players a chance, Arteta told arsenal.com : "I think it will happen, for example in our case we have five games in 15 days, that's a game every three days.

"We don't know how the players are going to respond physically because we have had a really short preparation time.

"We have to use them, we have some really talented young boys that are asking for chances.

"I'm sure at other clubs the situation will be the same and I think at some stage we will be forced to use some of them with the amount of games that we are going to be playing in that space of time."

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : arsenal.com

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