Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this week backed Eddie Nketiah to take the place of Gabriel Jesus in the team.

Jesus is out for several months with a knee injury that he sustained at the World Cup with Brazil.

While Arsenal may be active in the transfer market to sign a replacement, Arteta publicly outlined his faith in Nketiah to fill that role for now.

“We have more faith in Eddie every single day. We see every day what he brings to the team, what he is as a human being and the way he is developing as a player," the Arsenal boss said.

"We got a great response last year when we needed him and he did really well for the team. He is ready. That is why he signed his contract. He is a key player in our squad and he is going to have chances to play.

“We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is what we want to do in January. This is idealistic but sometimes it is not realistic. Obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in.

“We don't need a body, we need players that make the team better. I think personalities that have the mentality that want to win and we have to focus on that. We have to be very strict with what we have done and the policy we have had to make the team successful.

"We can afford to get a striker for sure if we want one. We can get a striker, I can guarantee you that. But what we cannot afford to do is get a player here that is not for us. This is what we cannot afford, that is for sure."