Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opted to leave Raheem Sterling on the bench against Manchester United at the weekend.
Despite the absence of a recognised striker, Arteta persisted with Mikel Merino up front, and he even chose to use Kieran Tierney ahead of Sterling when making changes in the second half at Old Trafford.
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While some fans on X did question Arteta’s selection choices, most agreed that Sterling is simply not up to the standard required:
Sterling not good enough to be in an Arsenal kit
— Dyanne (@dyanneb) March 9, 2025
Let’s be real rather play with 10 men than have Sterling play.
— Efootball12345 (@Efootballgame1) March 9, 2025
Sterling isn’t Premier League level anymore😂😂
— Musa (@mus99z) March 9, 2025
Tierney is better than him. Sterling has done nothing. He should not be in the squad
— abishekbb (@arsenalesque_In) March 9, 2025
Sterling contract should be canceled tomorrow morning and sent back to Chelsea.
— Victor Ogbonna (@victorogb) March 9, 2025
He plys rubbish..let him stay on the bench till the end of the season
— 💦I-Am-Umar🧑⚕️ (@Shades_256) March 10, 2025
He stinks against a relegated team when given a chance🤮
— Hell Wong (@ernestwhk) March 10, 2025
Where have things gone wrong for Sterling?
The 30-year-old was hoping to revive his career at the Emirates, having been frozen out at his parent club Chelsea, but his loan spell with the Gunners has not gone to plan.
In 22 appearances this campaign, he has scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists. When you consider two of those goal contributions came in the same match against Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the Carabao Cup back in September, you can clearly see how poor Sterling has been.
Arsenal do have one forward back available
While Sterling’s situation is far from ideal, there was some good news for Arteta as he was able to select Gabriel Martinelli in a matchday squad for the first time in over a month.
The Brazilian has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, and he was expected to make his comeback after the international break, but he came on for the final 30 minutes on Sunday.
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