Mikel Arteta explains why Cedric Soares is yet to play for Arsenal this season

Mikel Arteta has vowed to give Cedric Soares the minutes he “deserves” in an Arsenal shirt in the coming weeks, with the defender not having yet featured for the Gunners this season.

The 31-year-old right-back is yet to make an appearance for the Gunners in all competitions this term and was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League at The Emirates on Thursday night.

The Portuguese defender was sidelined due to injury earlier in the season and Arteta has now revealed that he has struggled with recurring fitness issues in recent weeks.

However, Cedric is now ready to be selected and Arteta is planning to reward the defender for his hard work with some minutes in the coming weeks.

Asked why Cedric had not featured for the Gunners this season, Arteta told his post-match news conference on Thursday night: “The competition is one, the second one is because he was injured for a while and he had a recurring injury. Now he’s fit, and he’s a player who deserves to play. I want to give him the minutes because he deserves that.”

Cedric was a relatively regular fixture in the Arsenal team last season, with the defender having started 16 of their 38 Premier League games and making a further five appearances from the bench as they finished fifth in the table. He scored one goal and made three assists last term.

Mikel Arteta (Photo: Arsenal Media)

Arteta was speaking after Arsenal’s victory over PSV booked their spot in the knockout phase of the Europa League. The Gunners will go straight into the last 16 as group winners if they claim at least a point against PSV in the Netherlands next week.

Granit Xhaka scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute when he fired home a low strike to secure the victory against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side.

Xhaka, 30, has been one of Arsenal’s most impressive players this season, having started all 10 of the Gunners’ Premier League games – and scoring three goals and making three assists in all competitions.

Arteta reserved special praise for Xhaka after Thursday’s win, praising the Switzerland international for the way he has turned around his form to become one of the club’s most important players this term.

Asked about Xhaka being captain and scoring the winner, Arteta replied: “He deserves that, he has faced adversity in difficult moments, he has put his arm up when he had something different to do.

Granit Xhaka (Photo: The Sport Review)

“His work ethic, the way he is as a person, the way he treats everyone around the club, and the love for this football club and profession is unquestionable, he fully deserves that and I’m really happy to see him enjoying his career.”

Meanwhile, Xhaka himself insisted that Arsenal’s bright start to the season is not a surprise to him and his team-mates given the work they have been putting in.

“I’m so happy to score,” Xhaka told BT Sport after Thursday’s game. “I don’t know when I scored for the last time with the right foot but so happy. It doesn’t matter which foot, or who scores.

“It gives us confidence and on to the next one. When you win games you have to be happy. Everything is going well at the moment but for us it is not a surprise, we’re doing a lot of work.

“We win and lose as a team and at the moment we are very dangerous. We wanted to go through and are very happy.”

Arsenal will head to Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon looking to make it five wins in a row in the top flight.