Arteta playing ‘Alex Ferguson’ by pulling players from int’l duty — Lineker

Gary Lineker has suggested that Mikel Arteta is adopting tactics similar to Sir Alex Ferguson, following a wave of withdrawals involving Arsenal players during the international break.

Speaking on The Rest is Footballpodcast, Lineker pointed to the growing list of Arsenal stars who have pulled out of national team duties, hinting at a deliberate strategy to preserve key players ahead of decisive fixtures.

“I think Arteta is playing a Sir Alex role here,” he said.

The former England striker noted that several high-profile players have returned to north London, including Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

“Interestingly, a couple of Arsenal players have pulled out of this squad now,” Lineker added. “Both [Bukayo] Saka and Declan Rice have gone. They joined people like [William] Saliba and Gabriel and one or two other players.”

Although Arsenal have maintained that the withdrawals are due to genuine fitness concerns, the timing has attracted scrutiny, coming at a crucial stage of the Premier League season with the title race intensifying.

Drawing from his own experience, Lineker explained that such situations are not unusual, particularly when clubs seek to protect their players from unnecessary international fixtures.

“All managers have done that, but generally it’s down to the players,” he said.

“The manager would always pressure you to pull out of friendlies in particular. It happened to me a couple of times and on both occasions I said, ‘No chance.’”

He compared the situation to Ferguson’s well-known approach during his time at Manchester United, where key players were often shielded from international commitments to ensure peak performance at club level.

With Arsenal pushing to secure the league title, managing player fitness has become critical, especially ahead of a decisive run of matches that could define their season.

The Gunners have Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City giving them a chase on the EPL table, are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup where they would square up against Sporting CP and Southampton respectively.

Mikel Arteta’s men headed into the international break after a defeat in the hands of rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup finals.

culled from vanguard