Arsenal hero Martin Keown insists manager Mikel Arteta has handled William Saliba in ideal fashion.
Currently on-loan with Olympique Marseille, it was feared that Saliba's time in north London was coming to an end given that he hadn't made a competitive appearance since arriving from St Etienne for £27m in the summer of 2019.
But the Spaniard's brave decision has been vindicated as he is excelling in Ligue 1 and is gaining invaluable experience playing football week in, week out.
Keown told the Mirror: "He's come in at a difficult time when there were a lot of managers in a short space of time.
"I don't see that necessarily as a problem. It's about bringing him back in and him still believing he is an Arsenal player.
"That message will come from the manager. This season will be really good for him, we can see what a quality player he is. Hopefully, he gets another chance to prove he can play in that first team."
Asked if he will be in Arteta's plans next term, Keown added: "You would like to think so.
"That needs to be the ideal situation for the manager that he has a difficult job picking that back four where. Tierney is the best left-back at the cub, but Tavares has made that a bit more difficult for the manager.
"It seems like Gabriel and White are the main two, but Saliba is doing exceptionally well.
"It will be healthy if he comes back and creates competition and gives tough decisions for the manager. The top clubs have that, look at Man City with Laporte, Diaz and Stones. That's why they are the current Premier League champions."
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