After over a month without a competitive game, Arsenal U21s will finally return to action tomorrow afternoon when they face their Fulham counterparts in an away fixture.
Arsenal will be eager to return to winning ways, having not secured victory in any of their last four matches.
Coach Mehmet Ali is likely to face some difficult selection decisions and it will be especially interesting to see who he elects to deploy at right-back.
Josh Robinson was the regular choice in that position in the first half of the season but he has now secured a permanent move to Wigan Athletic.
It was anticipated that Josh Nichols, who can also play at left-back, would now receive a run of games in his preferred position of right-back.
However, that option also cannot be considered, with Nichols having suffered an injury that could keep him out for some time.
Ali will therefore have to assess the other options available to him, with his decision made even more difficult by the fact that Theo Julienne and Louie Copley (a midfielder who can also play at right-back if needed) are likely to be with the U18s against QPR tomorrow instead.
It is possible that Michal Rosiak could revert to playing at right-back for this game. Rosiak is now mainly deployed in midfield but possesses experience of operating at right-back, especially during the U18s’ run to the final of the FA Youth Cup two seasons ago.
Winger Seb Ferdinand is another potential option at right-back, while centre-back Zane Monlouis could possibly play there.
It isn’t an ideal situation for Ali going into Arsenal U21s’ first game of 2025 but it will be interesting to see how the team adapts to this challenge.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
