'Absolutely outstanding': Gary Neville praises Arsenal £12m player, Mikel Arteta hasn't him picked this season

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may actually be left worrying about his midfield options during this international break.

The Gunners headed into the international break off the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Declan Rice’s red card has caused uproar and even stunned Ally McCoist on commentary as he was handed a contentious second yellow card.

The international break is here but many Arsenal fans are already looking towards the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Midfield issues are adding up for Mikel Arteta though with Rice suspended and new signing Mikel Merino is out injured.

Martin Odegaard has been nursing a problem with Norway whilst Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira were allowed to go over the summer.

Gary Neville on Arsenal’s Jorginho

Arteta will be hoping to have Odegaard available and we may even see Kai Havertz in midfield against Tottenham.

Another midfielder in the mix is Jorginho, who has yet to start a Premier League game this season.

The 32-year-old hasn’t even played a single minute of action in the Premier League having been an unused substitute in three straight games.

Jorginho has shown himself as a dependable player when called upon but Arteta hasn’t looked in his direction yet this season.

Pundit Gary Neville has now offered his view on Jorginho on the latest episode of Stick to Football.

Neville was discussing Casemiro’s struggles for Manchester United and highlighted that older midfield players who play well tend to be ‘excellent’ on the ball.

Neville highlighted Jorginho as a player of that ilk alongside esteemed company of Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes and Xavi.

The former United star added that these players are simply ‘unbelievable on the ball’ and ‘exceptional’ in terms of their passing ability.

“Where I’ve seen older players work in central midfield is usually when they’re excellent on the ball and they’re absolutely outstanding at controlling the game,” said Neville.

“You’ve seen the likes of Jorginho or Pirlo, or you’ve seen players like Scholes, Xavi, players where they’re so exceptional with their passing and their ability to be able to play, and they play in a certain team, that actually, they can get through the game by the fact that they’re actually unbelievable on the ball,” he added.

Jorginho could shine against Tottenham

Jorginho would predominantly play as a holding midfielder, which isn’t Arsenal’s area of concern right now.

Thomas Partey has started the season in that role and should be available to play Tottenham.

Moving Partey further forward would be a surprise but if Arteta goes for Jorginho, he would be prepared to shine.

The £12million signing from Chelsea, as noted by Sky Sports, has helped Arsenal control games in midfield whenever called upon.

Tottenham have bags of energy in midfield but can be cut open fairly easily.

Jorginho’s experience, vision and incisive passing could really help Arsenal go through Tottenham in the North London derby.

Arteta will have to weigh up his options once the international break is over but he may well be tempted to pick Jorginho for the first time against Spurs.