Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is set to leave Carl Jenkinson out of his line-up to face West Ham United on Saturday due to the abuse he’s received from fans.
The 24-year-old has struggled since being brought in by Wenger to stand in for the injured Hector Bellerin, and with Mathieu Debuchy now also sidelined, it leaves the French tactician with a real headache.
Jenkinson would be the first choice replacement in this situation, but according to The Sun, he will be left out of the trip to the London Stadium in order to avoid coming under further fire.
After fans cheered when he was replaced in the EFL Cup defeat to Southampton in midweek, the report goes on to note that he suffered abuse from trolls online after which further added to his misery.
In turn, Wenger will look to protect his player and give him a chance to regain his confidence and focus before reintroducing him into the line-up.
“He is going through a difficult period because the Jenkinson you see at the moment has no confidence.
“And today it is even more difficult because the player quickly gets hammered by everyone on social media.
“I just hope Carl does not read that and focuses on his game because he will come back.”
Gabriel is expected to now play out of his natural position and fill in at right back, as he did against Bournemouth last weekend when he replaced Debuchy, and that could be an area that West Ham look to exploit on Saturday evening.
As a whole, Arsenal aren’t playing with much confidence or fluidity right now, and they will be desperate to avoid a setback this weekend.