Mikel Arteta has quashed reports which have claimed that Lucas Torreira will return early from his loan spell at Atletico Madrid.
It was reported last week that the Uruguayan midfielder will have his deal with the La Liga outfit terminated early due to the lack of game time available.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s clash with Crystal Palace, the Spaniard laid praise on the diminutive ace’s character, claiming he will keep trying to impress.
Arteta said: “It can happen, the team is doing exceptionally well, they are first in La Liga and when a team is winning it is difficult to get into the starting line up. It is a long season, I know Lucas’ character, he is going to try to keep going and keep pushing too let’s see what will happen.” (via Arsenal)
It’s quite the conundrum for Arsenal because the less Torreira plays during his loan spell at the Wanda Metropolitano giants, the less they are likely to fetch in terms of a transfer fee next summer.
Torreira was made available for transfer during last summer’s transfer window after it became apparent that he didn’t fit into the former Manchester City coach’s plans. He started his spell with Atletico off well, appearing in the first four league games before he was struck down by the pandemic.
Since his return to full fitness, minutes have been incredibly limited for the former Sampdoria star with the ace making just two substitute appearances off the bench.
Would a return to Arsenal be on the cards? Well, if the £25.2m-rated midfielder continues to be left on the sidelines, there would have to be a serious re-think from the north London hierarchy. The longer Torreira is kept out of the Diego Simeone’s team, the lower his value falls as a result.
In other news, Arteta is worried over the fitness of one Arsenal man.
