Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares has been told he has plenty to learn about what is required of a left-back by a man who knew all about the position in Nigel Winterburn.
The Portugal Under-21 international was purchased from Benfica last summer becoming the first of six additions to the Arsenal squad in one very busy window. From the outset, Tavares was always viewed as a deputy for first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney and actually impressed when he was called upon.
Towards the tail-end of last year, Tavares enjoyed a number of positive showings for the Gunners both in the Carabao Cup and Premier League as he played a big part in league wins against the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Yet, the turn of the calendar year appeared to mark the beginning of a steep decline for the full-back.
He was hauled off inside the opening 30 minutes during an FA Cup third round defeat by Nottingham Forest, prompting him to angrily throw his gloves to the floor as he made his way off the pitch and back on the bench. Tavares was not seen again in the league for more than a month, a one-minute cameo coming against Watford in late February.
The latest low comes after a disastrous display away at Crystal Palace in which Tavares was arguably at fault for both of the Eagles' first-half goals before being withdrawn at the half-time stage. In the wake of Tierney's serious knee injury, many expected Tavares to be deployed regularly in the Scot's absence.
Instead, he was dropped for the recent home defeat by Brighton - something that Winterburn feels may be down to Tavares' lack of understanding of what is required of him.
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Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football on behalf of FreeSuperTips, the Gunners legend said: "I just don't think he fully understands the complete role of a fullback and I think there's a lot more he needs to learn defensively in terms of the situations he puts himself in.
"He needs to learn that side of the game very quickly and get back to the form going forward that he showed earlier in the season. The problem is when you've had a couple of games like the ones he's had, then your confidence just drops so quickly."
Winterburn went on to claim the fans' perception of the defender may also be another obstacle Tavares must overcome: "You can also lose the trust of the supporters, so it makes it difficult to come back when that happens."
Speculating on what has sparked Tavares' recent demise, the former Arsenal left-back struggled to pinpoint what started his struggles: "It's hard to say what's happened when you're looking from the outside, but it seems his level of performance has dropped.
"I'm not sure if that's down to the amount he's played or if it's a confidence issue. For me, I don't see him at this minute in time as a viable option for Arsenal due to his performances. He played well in certain games at the start of the season when Tierney was out injured."
Arsenal are currently gearing up for a pivotal trip to Southampton on Saturday that could well end their hopes of a top-four finish should they suffer a third successive defeat. After being axed for the visit of Brighton, Tavares may well be handed a shot at redemption at Saint Mary's.
