‘One criticism’: Tony Adams suggests Mikel Arteta isn’t managing one Arsenal player properly

Mikel Arteta has done an incredible job as the manager of Arsenal.

The Spaniard has taken the Gunners from being mid-table pretenders to title contenders in just a few short years.

Arteta was criticised massively during his first few seasons in charge, but now, all of his doubters have turned to believers.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Tony Adams has actually pointed out one flaw with Arteta though.

Indeed, the former Arsenal captain noted that his only criticism of Mikel Arteta is that he overuses Bukayo Saka, claiming that he doesn’t get the chance to rest at all.

Mikel Arteta is overusing Bukayo Saka

Adams shared his verdict on Saka and how much football he has to play.

“Last year he was phenomenal. Don’t forget, if I have one criticism on Arteta he plays him every single game. He doesn’t give him any rest whatsoever. Maybe he doesn’t trust what’s coming through underneath him. If he was like Grealish or playing for Man City, Saka would be right up there,” Adams said.

Bukayo Saka needs backup

Adams is right, Mikel Arteta does use Bukayo Saka too much, and if he’s not careful, the winger will end up burning out.

Unfortunately, depth on the right wing is probably the weakest area of this Arsenal squad, so it’s not easy to rotate in that position.

Luckily, the summer transfer window is just around the corner, and perhaps the first port of call for the Gunners this summer should be to sign a new right-sided attacker who can give Saka a bit of respite when he needs it every now and then.

Of course, it’s hard to resist the temptation of using a player like Saka at every given opportunity, but this young man does need a rest every now and then.