Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal F.C., has explained why Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi were left out of the matchday squad to face Mansfield Town F.C. in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Both midfielders were absent from the squad for the clash against the League One side.
Arteta made nine changes to the team that secured a 1–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. in the Premier League earlier in the week.
Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Martinelli were the only players who retained their spots in the starting lineup, while teenagers Max Dowman and Marli Salmon were both handed starts.
“We know the difficulty of the challenge, it’s always really tough to win and earn the right to go through to the next round and we are very, very aware of that,” Arteta replied when asked about the changes.
