Mikel Arteta admits he hasn't played Arsenal star enough - "that was my fault"
Mikel Arteta has conceded he has not given Fabio Vieira enough of a chance at Arsenal amid the former Porto midfielder's stellar start to the season.
Vieira endured a difficult debut campaign with the Gunners last term and was used sparingly as a result. He struggled to impact proceedings when he was called upon and in turn many suggested the Portugal under-21 international was too lightweight to deal with the physicality of the Premier League.
However, the 23-year-old has shown a side to him that the Emirates faithful wasn't familiar with so far this campaign. While he hasn't exactly been first name on the teamsheet every week, his impressive performances off the bench against Fulham and Manchester United meant Vieira earned a starting spot for last Sunday's 1-0 win away at Everton.
Much to the surprise of those who thought his threat would be nullified by Everton's midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Onana, Vieira put in another solid display. He nearly managed a third assist in as many games were it not for a very tight VAR call ruling out Gabriel Martinelli's goal for an offiside in the build-up.
Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash at home against PSV, Arteta has addressed Vieira's recent run of form and admitted he has not handed the midfielder enough game time since he arrived in north London last summer.
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"That was my fault", Arteta explained. "I said many times you know that I haven't played him enough and that he hadn't had enough room in the team maybe, with the competitons that we play too participate more. But we see everyday the talent that he's got and what he can bring to the team - I was really happy with the performance at the weekend."
The Gunners boss went on to shed light on the best way to keep morale high within the current crop of Arsenal stars. His comments served as a potential hint to Vieira and what the future may hold for him.
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Fabio Vieira has impressed at Arsenal so far this season"To be happy they have to play and they have to feel important, " Arteta added. "They have to feel valued and they have to feel that we trust them, it is the only way to do it and I will try to do that in the best possible way, maximising them to get the best possible performance."
Whether Vieira will get more minutes under his belt against PSV on Wednesday remains to be seen, but it is not out of the question that Arteta rotates heavily with the calibre of league opposition on the horizon.
Following the visit of the Dutch giants, Arsenal welcome fierce rivals Tottenham to the Emirates before a cup clash away at Brentford, a trip to Bournemouth in the league and their first Champions League away day for six years against Ligue 1 outfit Lens.
In that run, it is likely Vieira will see plenty more action and have a chance to ensure he becomes too diffcult to ignore or leave on the bench, especially given one of the players seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order in Kai Havertz is struggling so desperately for form.
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