Former Premier League manager Tim Sherwood has said that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta isn’t holding back one of his players.
The Gunners are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after they beat League One side Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Emirates over the weekend. It means that their quadruple hopes remain alive, as they head into their next game against Wolves in the Premier League.
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One player who shone against Wigan was Eberechi Eze, who has struggled so far at Arsenal. He joined in the summer for £68m from Crystal Palace, but hasn’t been able to fully fulfil his potential like many expected him to.
It is now a crucial part of the season for Eze, who is trying to get into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, so he needs to step up now, or he may miss out on that flight to the USA in June.
Sherwood backs Eze to improve at Arsenal
Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was asked about Eze’s lack of form on Sky Sports News on Monday morning, and he was questioned by the presenter as to whether Arteta is holding the England star back.
Sherwood replied: “No, of course not. I think it’s up to Eze to fit into Mikel and the Arsenal squad. It’s a pretty similar situation to what Jack Grealish had when he went to Man City. When they’re the main man, like he [Eze] was at Palace, and everything evolves around you, a bit like when Jack was at Aston Villa.”
Grealish struggled to replicate his Villa form when he moved to Man City, and Sherwood believes that Eze is the same. He has said that the attacker needs to learn to play in a team, rather than being the star player as he was at Palace.
He added: “All of a sudden you have to get used to playing in a team environment, the structure you have to get used to, it takes time even though Eze has played in the Premier League before. He has to work on his game, he still needs to develop, they will find the space for him, I believe he’s a very talented boy.”
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