Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he has spoken with midfielder Lucas Torreira about his current situation as he struggles for playing time on loan at Atletico Madrid.
The Uruguay international fell out of favour at Arsenal for much of last season and left the Emirates Stadium for more playing time this term, with Atletico looking a good fit for him.
MORE: Has this surprise Arsenal star made himself undroppable?
However, it seems clear things are not working out for Torreira in the Spanish capital, with Arteta addressing the situation in his press conference today.
When asked about Torreira, Arteta said he’d spoken with him and that it’s a tricky situation due to Diego Simeone’s side looking in fine form in La Liga.
This inevitably means Torreira could find it harder to get into the starting XI, so Arteta doesn’t seem overly concerned for now, suggesting he would wait to see how things develop.
“I have had some conversations with Lucas,” Arteta is quoted by the Metro.
“He started the loan period really well, now he’s lacking game-time. It can happen, the team is doing exceptionally well.
“They are first in the Spanish La Liga so when a team is winning it can be difficult to get in the line-up.
“But it’s a long season, I know Lucas’ character, he’s going to try to keep going and pushing. Let’s see what happens with him.”
Arsenal fans will no doubt hope the loan can work out for Torreira, as it either mean he could return to north London a better player, or at least bump up his asking price ahead of a potential permanent transfer away.