Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has challenged Nicolas Pepe to meet his rigorous demands if he wants to return to the Arsenal starting line-up. Pepe was dropped from the Gunners' line-up which lost to Manchester City on Wednesday, as teenage youngster Bukayo Saka started in the 22-year-old's usual right-wing role. After scoring 22 Ligue 1 goals for Lille last season, Pepe's goalscoring contributions have dried up in his debut Premier League campaign. The Ivorian has scored just four league goals since joining Arsenal, but has also added six assists in his 24 Premier League appearances to date. The £72million man has struggled to nail down a spot in the Gunners' starting eleven all seasonArteta recognises the 22-year-old's potential but has told Pepe to take more responsibilityArteta said: 'It's taking the flash moments into a consistent mode.

Source: Metro June 20, 2020 09:22 UTC