Arsenal manager Unai Emery has acknowledged that one defender will definitely not feature during the forthcoming Premier League clash against Manchester United on the road.
Bellerin, 24, made his long-term injury comeback for the Gunners with a 15-minute cameo against Nottingham Forest in midweek and he made an instant impression with an assist.
Despite this, Bellerin is undoubtedly short of match practice after an extended time on the sidelines and Emery has confirmed that he would be ignored for the Red Devils game under the advice of the club’s doctors.
“I think no. Maybe in his mind yes, but we need to listen to the doctor and the doctor wants to do it progressively. Really tonight is the first day and the first minutes, and we are going to maybe share some minutes with the under-23s,” he told Sky Sports.
Instead, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers are available to feature on the right side of the defence and the former is widely expected to get the nod after serving a one-game domestic ban during the midweek Cup tie.
Compared to Maitland-Niles, Chambers has made a huge contribution within the past one-and-a-half games with one goal and three assists but there are still question marks regarding his pace while tracking back.
With Daniel James in the United ranks, Emery may be wary of playing Chambers and may favour Maitland-Niles, who does provide more on the physical and pace attribute than the England international.
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