Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn has sent a message to Nuno Tavares amid his recent struggles for form.
The Portuguese was brought to Arsenal this past summer as a back-up option to Kieran Tierney.
And whilst Tavares has shown signs of promise, especially going forward, the 22-year-old’s recent form is a concern.
In turn, Nigel Winterburn has sent a message to the full-back, telling him there is a lot more he needs to learn defensively:
“I just don’t think he fully understands the complete role of a full-back and I think there’s a lot more he needs to learn defensively in terms of the situations he puts himself in," he told FreeSuperTips [Via the Mirror.].
“He needs to learn that side of the game very quickly and get back to the form going forward that he showed earlier in the season.
“The problem is when you’ve had a couple of games like the ones he’s had, then your confidence just drops so quickly.
“You can also lose the trust of the supporters, so it makes it difficult to come back when that happens.”
Nuno Tavares’ Arsenal struggles
Nigel Winterburn’s comments come after a fairly shocking showing on the part of Tavares.
Kieran Tierney was injured in the build-up to Arsenal’s recent clash with Crystal Palace, leading to Tavares starting in his place.
However, Tavares was hooked at half-time in that clash and, despite being Arsenal’s only fit left-back, was then left on the bench vs Brighton last weekend.
This is not the first time Tavares has been hooked early in a game, also coming off after 35 minutes in the FA Cup vs Nottingham Forest.
Can he salvage his Arsenal career, or will the Gunners once again have to dip into the market for a left-back this summer?
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