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Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi has started every Premier League match so far this season since joining the Gunners from Real Sociedad
Martin Zubimendi is yet to start a Premier League match on the bench since joining Arsenal from Real Sociedad.
His prominent role within Mikel Arteta's title-chasing side underlines his importance to their title bid but we are now approaching the business end of the campaign and the Spaniard is among those at risk of burnout.
The midfielder has only missed two Champions League matches to date and has also been rested on three occasions in the Carabao Cup.
It's clear Zubimendi is a vital cog for Arsenal but with the games coming thick and fast, you do have question when exactly he'll get the rest he requires.
Mansfield on Saturday in the FA Cup would be a good starting point but the Champions League knockout stages are about to get underway and there is also a massive Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on the horizon.
Moving forward, it's not a stretch to say that Arteta may have to do something he has not done all season; start Christian Norgaard in place of the Spaniard in the Premier League.
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Sceptics will say that's not an option when Arsenal are in the midst of an intense title race but in the final months of the campaign, it's going to be impossible for Zubimendi to play two matches per week right up until the end of May.
Declan Rice has also experienced fitness issues in recent months, his knee ballooned at the start of the year and he was also unable to complete the full 90 minutes against Chelsea last Sunday.
The return of Martin Odegaard would certainly provide Arteta with a greater degree of flexibility to rotate Rice but as the No.6, Zubimendi is carrying a huge workload.
Norgaard has the experience to fill in when required, just as he has in the Champions League and in domestic cup competitions.
He's got the physical presence, leadership and knowhow to step in, it's just a question of when is precisely the right time to rotate.
Arsenal looked exhausted against Chelsea on Sunday despite having a full week of rest and it begs the question whether this squad has the physical capacity to continue challenging on all four fronts given Arteta never makes notable changes to his starting XI.
Norgaard was signed to replace Jorginho and the Italian was always a reliable figure for the Gunners. There's no reason why the Denmark international cannot be too.
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Ryan Taylor is a London football reporter who has worked across Reach's National titles since 2018. After graduating with a Sports Journalism degree from the University of Brighton, he previously climbed the ranks of the Daily Express, where he also covered boxing, before joining the Sunday Mirror as a Football Reporter in 2023. Ryan has developed a strong track record for breaking transfer news on the London football beat.
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