The Daily Star are reporting that Rob Holding has held talks with Manager Unai Emery about his rare first team appearances this season.
After Sokratis was injured against Everton yesterday Holding came on and played really well, but it was only his second Premier League appearance this season.
Holding has found himself down the pecking order behind Sokratis and Mustafi, and this is before Koscielny’s return. However, with Sokratis injured, this could pave the way for a regular run of games starting with a League Cup game this week against Brentford.
Asked whether he’s ready to play, Holding said:
“That’s something that you obviously only get with matches, so it’s something I’ve had to work on in training, and before the international break the boss pulled me in and said ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, the games are coming thick and fast now. So I just had to be ready mentally and physically, and I’ve been fine in both games, so I look forward to it…”
Then, asked about our first clean sheet of the season, Holding said:
“Yeah, we’ve obviously conceded in each game so the clean sheet is a big boost for us and that was the target for the last few games, to keep a clean sheet! It’s good to get that off our back now and we can push on for the rest of the season…”
Despite our tricky start, we have now won five games in a row and confidence is building as the season creaks into action.