Mikel Arteta has admitted that he didn’t feel Raheem Sterling was the right player to make an impact during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
The result at Old Trafford effectively ended the Gunners’ slim Premier League title hopes, as more dropped points left them trailing Liverpool by 15 points. Bruno Fernandes’ first-half free-kick gave United the lead, and although Declan Rice equalized for Arsenal in the second half, they couldn’t find a winner despite applying pressure.
Arteta was still without several key players for the trip to Manchester, though he was able to call upon Gabriel Martinelli, who returned after a five-week injury layoff. The manager made only three of his five permitted substitutions, opting to bring on full-back Kieran Tierney—who is set to leave for Celtic this summer—instead of Sterling, as Arsenal sought a goal.
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Ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League round-of-16 second leg against PSV Eindhoven, Arteta explained his decision to leave Sterling out, noting that the flow of the game played a key role in his thinking.
“It’s the same with all the players. Ultimately, we make decisions on the day based on which player fits best with how the game is unfolding,” Arteta said. “He’s come on in many games, but not the other day. And that’s it.”
When asked if Sterling could start against PSV, given Arsenal’s dominant 7-1 lead from the first leg, Arteta replied, “I will decide that tomorrow with him and the rest of the team.”
Sterling joined Arsenal on loan from Chelsea last summer, hoping to rejuvenate his career after being sidelined at Stamford Bridge. However, the 30-year-old has featured for just 863 minutes across all competitions, starting only eight games. During that time, he has contributed just one goal and two assists, with his solitary goal coming in the Carabao Cup third round against League One side Bolton Wanderers.
