Arsenal fans have been desperate to see more of Jeff Reine-Adelaide ever since the Emirates cup, but the Frenchman has been restricted to appearances at youth level . That looks set to change in our upcoming FA Cup clash against Sunderland however, with the 17-year-old tipped to make his first start for the Arsenal senior team this Saturday, according to the Daily Mail.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide has been hugely impressive for the U21s recently, scoring a brace in our recent 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers. He’s made it onto the bench regularly in the Premier League too, but has so far remained an unused substitute – much to the disappointment of Arsenal fans.
The Mail’s report suggests we won’t be disappointed much longer however, as Adelaide is in line for a start against the Black Cats this weekend. Arsene Wenger is apparently looking to rotate a little to cope with the busy winter schedule.
While we would all love to see a little more of the teen sensation, we’ve seen the impact too much rotation can have. Wenger needs to get the balance right, and keep the spine of the team intact this weekend. We could break records if we retain the FA Cup for a third year running, and while the Premier League should be our primary focus, we shouldn’t forget about the cup competitions.
While we’re more than capable of destroying Sunderland, we still have to realise that we’ve got Premier League opposition in the FA Cup, and no win is ever easy. You’d expect Adelaide to slot in superbly though, especially if his performance at the Emirates Cup is anything to go by. He looked like he’d been part of the Arsenal setup for years, and showed experience well beyond his years throughout.
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It’s been a real surprise that Adelaide hasn’t already featured more for Arsenal since his arrival last summer, but injuries, the U17 World Cup, and competition on the wings has seen him miss out. Perhaps he’ll now cement his place in the senior squad with a performance against Sunderland though, and help us on the road to our third consecutive FA Cup.
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