With Alexandre Lacazette a doubt for Arsenal's Premier League trip to Southampton on Saturday, manager Mikel Arteta could give summer signing Mika Biereth his debut for the London club.
Lacazette has been a regular feature during Arsenal's top four push, though the former Lyon man hasn't had his most prolific season. And, with football.london reporting that the Frenchman missed training ahead of the game at St Mary's, Biereth could be involved.
With Kieran Tierney alread expected to miss the rest of the season, and Arteta confirming Thomas Partey will be out for a number of weeks, Arsenal's squad is already looking thin. The manager has already been forced to call on youth this season, and summer arrival Biereth may need to step up.
Biereth joined Arsenal from Fulham over the summer, having scored 21 times in the under-18 Premier League last term. This season, the Dane has 10 goals for Arsenal's under-23s in Premier League 2 this term, including two against Manchester City in his last appearance, but has yet to make his senior bow.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t really turn it down," Biereth told Arsenal.com upon signing for the club in July. "I think now with the recent track record of youth going into the first team, I thought it was a great project to try and be a part of.”
Arteta has included the 19-year-old in a matchday squad just four times - once in the league, once in the FA Cup and in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. However, if Lacazette misses out on Saturday, that total could climb to five.
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Arteta was asked about Lacazette in his pre-match press conference, but gave little away. The French international began the season on the fringes, but has started every league game since early December.
"We will see if he’s available," Arteta said of Lacazette. "It’s a good possibility that that’s the case."
"Obviously there are private reasons that I cannot comment on, but I have no other team news to give other than the guys we have discussed," the manager said after giving updates on Partey, Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu. With Tomiyasu having last played in January, Cedric Soares has been filling in at right-back with academy prospect Zak Swanson making the bench on multiple occasions.
Swanson was one of four youngsters on the bench for last week's defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, along with Omari Hutchinson, Miguel Azeez and Mazeed Ogungbo. Marcelo Flores was part of the matchday 20 for the loss at Crystal Palace, while the likes of Charlie Patino and Salah Oulad M'hand have also travelled with the first team since the turn of the year.
