Mikel Arteta given clear Eberechi Eze instruction ahead of Newcastle United vs Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has been told Eberechi Eze must be played centrally to blossom in an Arsenal shirt.

The 27-year-old made the £67.5million move to the Gunners in the summer and scored his first goal for his new club in midweek against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup. Arteta has fielded the England international both on the left wing and in an attacking midfield position, but he is yet to nail down a regular starting spot.

That could change against Newcastle on Sunday, however, as many pundits and supporters have called for Eze to start from the off. Ally McCoist firmly agrees and believes Eze is best served playing centrally.

Speaking to football betting site TalkSPORT Bet, McCoist said: "We're only talking about one position here, the choice of one player. The back four effectively picks itself, and so does the front three. When I say they pick themselves, the front three will be from Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Viktor Gyokeres.

"So we're talking about a position in that middle three. Should Eberechi Eze have started? Right. I have the opinion, yes. But I don't think it's a massive, massive deal.

"Declan Rice starts, so it's two from three, I think. Whether it's Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino's a good player, but people forget it. Merino's a right good player and he scores important goals. So Arteta decided to go with Merino and Zubimendi and he's starting Rice in that game instead of Eze. So that's the decision I think that's been spoken about.

"Now, whether he's been too cautious or not… he's decided not to play Eze and that's the talking point. Should he have started them? Probably. But I watched them against Nottingham Forest, and he starts on the left-hand side.

"I don't think he's anywhere near as effective on the left-hand side as he is in a more central position. And I think he's got to try and find a way of getting him into the team in a more central position rather than stuck out on a wing, where Saka will sit in that outside-right position.

"On the left, that's not for Eze. I think he's got to be more central and he's got to be more involved. So that's where I am with it. He played the same way up at Liverpool. And he's an unbelievable free kick away from getting a great result. They won at Old Trafford. You know, and nobody will tell me that they did not deserve to get a point against Manchester City.

"So I know they scored late on with what was a brilliant goal. Great pass, great run, great finish. But it was deserved. It was deserved. And I think a bigger talking point than Mikel Arteta not going for it. I don't believe that's the case.

"I think he's a coach that has his way of playing. I just find it strange, how can you accuse somebody of not going for it? When you're playing Madueke, Saka, Martinelli, Trossard and Gyokeres, you've got so many attack-minded players. So, getting back to the point, we're talking about one player."

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