#PremierLeagueStories – #ArseneWenger doesn’t agree with #MikelArteta’s approach towards William Saliba #AFC

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has previously explained why he would prefer to give young defenders a chance, despite the increased risk of mistakes. Arsenal are yet to hand William Saliba his full debut since the teenager signed for the club last summer. The young, French centre-back was expected to slot straight into the heart of the Gunners' defence this season after returning from an impressive season-long loan spell at Saint-Etienne. However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who watched his side suffer a 1-0 home defeat to Leicester City, has been reluctant to hand opportunities to Saliba, with the 19-year-old having not yet made a single first-team appearance so far this term. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel His exclusion from the squad has caught some Gunners supporters by surprise, especially given the injuries to Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and exclusion of Sokratis from the Premier League squad. Arteta's decision to hold off from handing Saliba an opportunity to showcase his talents is at odds with Wenger's stance. The former Arsenal boss previously explained his philosophy that a young defender would repay the faith over time despite the initial risk of losing matches. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "If I have a young central-defender of 20-years-old, I know he will cost me points in the season, and I have to stand up from that," Wenger said, at a Football Writers' Association talk. "If I play a 28-year-old centre-back, maybe less talented, he will cost me less points. "But I will not give a chance to a young player and at some stage I must say as a manager sometimes you feel lonely to stand up there and say, 'No, I want this boy to play because he deserves it.' Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for Gunners updates By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. "But just to deserve it I know as well that he will make mistakes, because you learn your job at the age of 23 years of age. "At 23, 24 you have a player. But until 23, he may go up and down." The closest Saliba has got to making his Arsenal debut so far is when he was named on the bench for the Gunners' FA Community Shield triumph over Liverpool at Wembley back at the end of August and the 2-0 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup last month.