Arsenal legend Ian Wright expresses worry about Oleksandr Zinchenko after the left-back's uneasy brief performance in the team's Champions League last-16 win over Porto.
Zinchenko had a good first season at Arsenal last year but has struggled to be consistent this season due to a calf injury.
Jakub Kiwior has been filling in for Zinchenko on the left side of Mikel Arteta’s defense, starting his seventh game in a row on Tuesday against Porto, where Arsenal was trailing 1-0 from the first leg.
After Leandro Trossard leveled the match, Zinchenko replaced Kiwior with 15 minutes left in extra time and didn't look comfortable, frequently losing the ball and causing frustration among the home crowd.
An exceptional performance by David Raya helped Arsenal secure a spot in the quarter-finals, their first time since 2010, leading to celebrations in north London.
The Gunners will find out their next opponent on Friday, which could be Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, or Real Madrid.
Discussing Zinchenko's uncertain performance, former Arsenal striker Wright said on the Wrighty's House podcast: 'I think he's been eased out of the picture at the moment with what we're doing. ZinchenkoBecause he's not really involved right now.'
'The few times he has played… and the reason the crowd is a bit impatient with him… is because we want him to come on, retain the ball, and move it forward without giving it away.
'There were a couple of times, and I don't know if it's rust or because he hasn't played, I don't know if it's because he came on in a hectic game, but he gave the ball away a few times… and it's quite worrying now.
'I'm feeling it, and I think the fans might be feeling it too because players show signs of frustration when they groan instantly.
'It's not like, 'OK, let him warm up into it.' As soon as he made the first mistake, they were like, 'Oh!', because there is so much on the line.
'He has to come on and be the one to stay composed for us and keep the ball – even if he has to do that thing I hate seeing players do, passing it to each other – quickly and accurately.
But I'm worried about that.'
Wright is confident that Arsenal is 'growing stronger' and 'learning so much' from challenging European nights like the two legs they had against a determined Porto.
'I'm glad we won this game because for this team, for this squad, what they're trying to do and achieve, getting these firsts, the first time in 14 years we've reached the quarter-finals, it's another thing they have accomplished,' Wright added.
'They have reached a higher level of something, so mentally, they are becoming stronger… and playing in games like that, we have gained a lot of knowledge.
'We have gained a lot of knowledge from a game like that.'
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