Paul Scholes says Mikel Arteta simply isn’t getting the best out of one of his Arsenal players

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Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes Mikel Arteta isn’t maximising the potential of one of his players at Arsenal.

The Gunners moved to the top of the Premier League table after beating West Ham at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, and the mood around N5 is subsequently positive at the moment.

Andrea Berta spent in excess of £250 million on Arteta’s squad over the summer, signing eight players in the process, and this has enabled the Spanish manager to rotate more frequently and keep core members of his team fresh.

Despite this serenity around North London, Scholes has highlighted what he believes to be an issue that Arteta is yet to solve.

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Paul Scholes says Mikel Arteta isn’t getting the best out of Declan Rice

After a disappointing few weeks at the beginning of the campaign, Declan Rice has found his feet again in the last few matches.

Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi in the summer, and the Englishman has had to adapt to playing alongside a more mobile number six who likes to roam into advanced areas, rather than constantly sit deep.

It took some time for him to acclimatise, but Rice produced two outstanding displays last week against Newcastle and West Ham, respectively.

However, not everyone is enthused by the 26-year-old’s performances. Speaking on the Good, the Bad & the Football YouTube channel, Scholes claimed Arteta hasn’t created a system that maximises Rice’s value, while Nicky Butt agreed with his former teammate.

“I like Declan Rice. I just don’t think they get the best out of him,” Scholes said

“Yeah, I think he’s definitely more of a box-to-box player than a sitter. And he keeps sitting quite a bit, until Zubimendi came on [against West Ham], then he let him release forward,” Butt replied.

Mikel Arteta’s new role for Declan Rice actually suits him

Last season, Rice was essentially tasked with being an attacker in possession.

Against low blocks, he’d largely be camped inside the opposition’s final third and look to break into the box with late, darting runs.

While this saw him achieve his best-ever goal tally, he also looked like a round peg in a square hole at times. His most limited attribute is arguably his creative ability in small spaces.

Now, alongside the more athletic Zubimendi, the pair rotate regularly, allowing Rice to drop into deeper positions in the build-up, suiting his skillset.

Riccardo Calafiori has replaced Rice as the advanced player who pushes forward on the left side, and in the last few matches, the Gunners have started to see the benefits of restricting their £100 million man.