Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Ainsley Maitland-Niles must 'compete for his place like everybody else'.
The Englishman was dropped for Monday's win over Newcastle, continuing his patchy contribution to the Gunners this season.
Asked about Maitland-Niles after beating the Magpies, Arteta said: "He needs to compete for his place like everybody else.
"There have been a lot of players who have been left out of the squad and they have less minutes. Ainsley has played some minutes in the league, he's played a lot of minutes in the Europa League.
"He's played in the Emirates FA Cup, he's played semi-finals and finals for us so it's about him, his performances and how much he wants to be in the team."
