Jamie Carragher thinks Mikel Arteta may already be thinking about dropping ‘unique’ Arsenal player

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Mikel Arteta would have had more questions than answers following Arsenal’s narrow win over Manchester United.

Despite the three points, the Gunners were far from convincing during their 1-0 victory over Manchester United and had David Raya to thank for their clean sheet.

Arsenal fans were unhappy with William Saliba as the French defender had a nervy start to the campaign but he wasn’t the only one.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were below par and Jamie Carragher thinks that Arteta will already be thinking of dropping one player in particular.

READ MORE: Forget Odegaard and Gyokeres, Martin Keown says another Arsenal partnership isn’t ‘marrying’

Jamie Carragher thinks Viktor Gyokeres will be dropped for ‘big’ games

Speaking on Sky Sports pre-match coverage of Leeds United v Everton, Carragher has expressed his belief that Arteta will drop striker Viktor Gyokeres for the ‘big’ games this season.

Carragher has backed Kai Havertz to be the Gunners’ main striker this season despite the £63m signing of Gyokeres.

The former Liverpool defender stated: “If I’m honest. I think they will go back to Havertz in the biggest games.

“I can see Gyokeres playing and scoring goals next week against Leeds, but the next week, I would be very surprised if Havertz isn’t playing that game.”

Fellow pundit Gary Neville disagreed with Carragher’s verdict and was fully behind the Swede, Neville explained: “You can’t leave Gyokeres out of big games.”

It was Gyokeres that got the nod at Old Trafford for the opening game, however, he struggled to make an impact in the match and was replaced by Havertz on the hour mark.

Kai Havertz has an excellent record v ‘Big Six’ clubs for Arsenal

Havertz has been tipped to lead the line for the Gunners in their upcoming clash at Anfield and his record against the ‘Big Six’ clubs in the Premier League would back up that claim.

The German is yet to lose a match in an Arsenal against the fellow ‘Big Six’ rivals and has notched four goals and four assists since joining the club in 2023.

His strength and ability to occupy both central defenders has worked in the past as it has allowed more space for the likes of Saka and captain Martin Odegaard to then operate.

Havertz also has the ability to hold the ball up and allows Arsenal to play a more direct style when they are pressed high up the pitch at grounds such as Anfield and the Etihad.

Whether Arteta sticks with his tried and tested formula this season remains to be seen, however, Gyokeres has big boots to fill when it comes to stepping up in the big matches.