Mikel Arteta admits Fabio Vieira has deserved more playing time since he joined Arsenal.
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The 23-year-old made the move to the Gunners in £34 million deal from Porto last year, but in his first season in England, the midfielder started just 14 games in all competitions.
Vieira impressed in his first start of the new Premier League season on Sunday as Arsenal sealed a 1-0 win over Everton and the Portuguese midfielder is looking to keep his spot for his side’s Champions League opener against PSV on Wednesday.
When asked about Vieira’s situation at Arsenal, Arteta replied: ‘That was my fault.
‘I said that many times, I haven’t played him enough.
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‘He hasn’t had enough room in the team with the competitions that we play to participate more, but we see every day the talent he has got and what he can bring to the team.
‘I was really happy with his performance at the weekend.’
When asked how he plans to keep players happy with his squad rotation, Arteta said: ‘To be happy, they have to play and they have to feel important.
‘They have to feel valued and they have to feel that we trust them. It’s the only way to do it.
‘I will try to do that in the best possible way, maximizing them to get the best possible performance. That’s it.’
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