Mikel Arteta remains confident in veteran goalkeeper Neto’s ability to step in for the injured David Raya when Arsenal take on Manchester City this Sunday.
Neto’s Unexpected Arsenal Debut
The 35-year-old, who joined Arsenal on loan from Bournemouth last summer, finally made his debut in a 2-1 victory over Girona. Raya was in Spain with the squad but was sidelined due to an unspecified injury, giving Neto his first appearance for the club.
Despite his vast experience with Barcelona and Valencia, Neto had been restricted to a backup role all season. His only prior game time came in the Carabao Cup for Bournemouth, making him ineligible to feature in the same competition for Arsenal.
A Shaky Start but a Strong Finish
Neto’s Arsenal debut was far from smooth. Just minutes into the match, he nearly lost possession under pressure, and later, he was caught out of position for Arnaut Danjuma’s goal. In a moment of panic, he also attempted to make a save with his hands well outside the penalty area, a move that could have earned him a red card had he made contact with the ball.
Despite the early nerves, Neto settled into the game, and Arsenal turned things around with goals from Jorginho (penalty) and Ethan Nwaneri, securing third place behind Liverpool and Barcelona.
Arteta’s Vote of Confidence
With Raya racing against time to recover for the crucial clash with Manchester City, Arteta is confident Neto can fill the gap if needed.
Asked if Neto would start in Raya’s absence, Arteta responded: “Yes, that’s why he’s here to do that job, and he’s done it for 20-odd years in his career.”
Defending the goalkeeper’s performance, Arteta added: “I’m very happy first of all that he played. It’s been seven months since his last match, and it’s not easy. So I’m happy he played and that we won.”
Raya’s Fitness Still Uncertain
Providing an update on Raya’s condition, Arteta said: “He certainly could not play, he’s injured, and that’s it. Let’s see how it goes.”
Arsenal’s Mentality Moving Forward
Beyond the goalkeeping situation, Arteta emphasized the importance of maintaining a winning mentality, dismissing speculation about Arsenal’s qualification path.
“I didn’t like the noise, all the ‘if this, if that’ talk. I threw all that away. If we win and play better than the opposition, we’ll be where we need to be,” he said.
With a critical match against Manchester City approaching, all eyes will be on whether Raya recovers or if Neto will have to step up in Arsenal’s biggest test of the season.