Arsenal star 'frustrated' with lack of minutes under Mikel Arteta

Raheem Sterling is ‘frustrated’ with his lack of minutes at Arsenal, according to former Gunners defender Bacary Sagna.

Sterling joined Arsenal late in the summer transfer window on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea after the Blues had exiled him from their Premier League squad.

The 29-year-old has featured eight times for Arsenal so far, while he has only started two times and scored one goal in a Carabao Cup game against Bolton Wanderers.

Sagna, who is a friend of the Chelsea-owned Sterling, wants to see the former England international feature more for the Gunners over the busy festive period.

“I would love to see Raheem Sterling playing more regularly for Arsenal,” Sagna told Mega Dice.

“It's difficult because, first of all, he’s my friend, but I would love to see him playing more and shining, because he's a good player.

“I think he can bring something different to the club. It's difficult because, the emotional side of not playing can have an impact on a players confidence. We know that Raheem Sterling is a brilliant player when he’s at his best.

Arteta’s side boast an array of attacking talent including Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, all of whom are considered above Sterling in the pecking order at Emirates Stadium.

However, Sagna believes Sterling is currently frustrated with his limited opportunities on the pitch.

“I would love to see him playing, destroying players one-on-one, scoring goals and making assists. Of course, it's Mikel Arteta’s decision to play him. He’s a big player with a big profile, and he's probably frustrated because he wants to play more and was looking forward to playing.

“I’m sure that he will be given a lot of minutes from now until the New Year because there are a lot of games coming up.”

Arsenal are in Premier League action this weekend where they will face Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Gunners boss Arteta will speak to the media about his team news for the game at 13:30 (GMT) today.