31 January 2024 , 09:16
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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko regularly slotting into midfield is "an insult".
Zinchenko started his career as a midfielder and still plays there for Ukraine, but it was Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's idea to convert him into a left-back when the pair worked together at Manchester City.
He then signed Zinchenko for Arsenal in 2022 and has made him his first-choice left-back, asking the 27-year-old to regularly tuck into midfield to give the Gunners a man advantage. However, Scholes is not a fan of the role and took aim on his Instagram story during Arsenal's game against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
"A full-back coming into central midfield is an insult to a central midfield player," he wrote. "I think he/she should be told to get the f*** back out there." Scholes' former United teammate and fellow Salford City co-owner Phil Neville responded to him on Instagram, writing: "Us full-backs can play anywhere".
Zinchenko went on to assist Gabriel Jesus' opener as Arsenal beat Forest 2-1 to cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the table to just two points, although Jurgen Klopp's side do have a game in hand.
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However, the full-back had to be calmed down by manager Mikel Arteta after the match when he was spotted in a furious argument with teammate Ben White. Arteta, though, was keen to downplay the incident when asked about it post-match.
"That is pushing each other and being not happy conceding," he told TNT Sports. "I have to encourage it in the right way. I love that the players are pushing each other!"
Scholes has hit out at the inverted full-back role Oleksandr Zinchenko plays for Arsenal (Matt West/REX/Shutterstock)He was also asked about the incident in his press conference and added: "Sometimes after the game it's emotional and heated but I love that the players are pushing each other and demanding excellence.
"It got a bit heated. But that means that it's enough. Playing the way we played the result has to be bigger and the clean sheet has to be there. I'm really happy with the performance and with the result.
"It was still in our tummy, what happened here last year, and we wanted to put it right. We want to generate some momentum now in the league. I think we've got that and the performance was very good. I thought we completely dominated the game."