Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has claimed that he has seen a different Nicolas Pepe in recent weeks.
Pepe joined the Gunners from Lille for a club-record £72million back in the summer of 2019 after enjoying a stellar 2018/19 campaign with the Ligue 1 outfit.
However, the talented winger has struggled to replicate that form in England on a consistent basis and has barely played this season, starting just five Premier League games for the north Londoners this term.
Now, Arteta has backed the Ivory Coast international to have a key role in the club's top-four charge, admitting that the 26-year-old has changed his attitude since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations last month.
"Since he has come back from AFCON I think I have seen a different Nico as well," the Spaniard said.
"I don’t know what it is, probably he has realised the importance of the end of the season for him. He had a brilliant end of the season last year. He can replicate that.
"We need him at his best because everybody is going to contribute. We are a really short squad at the moment and we need it and hopefully he has understood that we want to play him.
"I don’t want to have a player like him sitting on the bench and not using him and the moment I have chances, I want to give him a chance.”
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When quizzed on what specifically Pepe has done differently, Arteta said: "His attitude, his smile, the way he is communicating with everybody, his energy.
"The way he has trained. His efficiency in training, his application. His energy has changed. I don’t know what it is. I think he felt important again.
"Probably he felt like a proper football player that can win tournaments and felt: ‘Ok, this is me now’. And he needed that and I’m really pleased with that."
