Mikel Arteta says something really unfortunate happened to Raheem Sterling at Arsenal recently

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Raheem Sterling’s start to life at Arsenal has been rather mixed so far, with the forward finding few opportunities to impress.

Mikel Arteta landed the forward from Chelsea on a season-long loan late in the summer transfer window, having worked with him at Manchester City.

Few chances have been given the way of Raheem Sterling since though, with a few cameo appearances and starts in domestic cup matches.

The serial winner was looking to get some more minutes under his belt in midweek when Arsenal beat Sporting CP 5-1, with a substitution in the works.

Sterling was forced to sit down from a pre-planned substitution though, as Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury forced a change in plans.

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Mikel Arteta reveals how Raheem Sterling reacted after his substitution was cancelled vs Sporting CP

Given the few opportunities afforded to Sterling, many would be forgiven for thinking there would be some frustration from the star forward.

Arsenal boss Arteta gave some insight into how he reacted though, showing how much of a true professional he is.

When asked about Sterling’s reaction to the cancelled substitution, Arteta said: “Nothing, a smile on his face fortunately for me. These are things that happen in football.

“Unfortunately. it happened to him and he reacted in the best possible way, which is understanding. He has been a long time in the game and he knows this is something that I cannot control.”

It’s useful for Arsenal to have such an experienced professional around London Colney, even if he is only 29 years old.

While he hasn’t had that one moment to swing a game for the Gunners, there is an opportunity with some big fixtures coming up.

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Raheem Sterling has had to be patient for Arsenal chance

Sterling has been forced to be patient with his time at Arsenal so far, though there will be some expectation that he can start to have more of an impact.

Plenty of that will be down to the minutes that Arteta affords him, with only nine appearances made across all competitions.

With a busy fixture list coming up, there will be some chances around the corner for him, there is no doubt about that.

How many of those ten games he can start and make an impact in remains to be seen, but it’s down to Arteta to give him those chances.