Gael Clichy has urged Arsenal fans to curb their expectations over Cristhian Mosquera as the new signing prepares to step into the team to replace the injured William Saliba.
Mosquera was one of Arsenal’s eight new signings during the summer transfer window, joining the club from Valencia in a £13million deal.
The Spain Under-21 international made his competitive debut against Liverpool before the international break when he replaced Saliba just five minutes into the match, earning praise from his manager after a calm and composed performance at the back.
Mosquera could now be set for a run in the team alongside Gabriel Magalhaes with Saliba expected to miss the visit of Nottingham Forest on Saturday as a result of the ankle sprain he initially suffered in the pre-match warm-up at Anfield.
The France international could also be a doubt for the trip to Manchester City next weekend.
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Former Gunners full-back Clichy, who has left his role as France Under-21 assistant manager to pursue his own career in management, sees huge potential in the young Arsenal star. But he warns there is a very different kind of pressure that comes with starting a match compared to coming off the bench.
‘I wouldn’t say they should be feeling too safe or secure because coming off the bench and starting a game are two different things, Clichy told Metro courtesy of BetMGM.
‘Starting a game when people know you are going to start, they [the opposition] will have analysed your game during the week, looking at your weaknesses and strengths.
‘Coming into a game when no one is expecting you having not analysed how you play [is different]. He will have been thinking about this the last two weeks thinking, “this is my time, I cannot mess around and miss this opportunity”. He has to deliver and get to the level of William because he may only have a few weeks. This is a different story.
‘When you come in, of course you can crumble. I’m not going to say it’s easier [coming into a game like that] but no one expects you to do anything. You were on the bench, you were not expected to play. Now, you will have had two weeks to think about what can go right and what can go wrong.
‘All this is within the brain of the player. We don’t know how the player reacts. We can talk about the quality of the player of course and he has all the attributes to be a great defender so Arsenal should be happy to have him.
‘But for anyone that’s supports Arsenal, you cannot tell yourself that because he had a great game against Liverpool, he is going to be amazing for the next few weeks while William is out. Football doesn’t work like that.
‘So often we see young players performing so well in that first year when no one expects them to do anything. Then the second year, when they have to confirm they are a great player, they fall short. So we have to give him time.’
Gael Clichy was speaking on behalf of BetMGM. You could win over £30million today with BetMGM’s MGM Millions. BeGambleAware 18+
