Raheem Sterling hungry and with point to prove, says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

LONDON – Raheem Sterling’s hunger and determination to prove people wrong could be a huge benefit to Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta said of the club’s new signing ahead of the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur.

Sterling, who has not played a single minute this season after being frozen out at Chelsea and allowed to join their big rivals on loan, could make his debut for the Gunners, who are expected to miss three key players for the vital clash on Sept 15.

“He looks great. First of all because he has a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He’s at it, and he wants to prove a point,” Arteta said of the 29-year-old four-time English Premier League winner with Manchester City, in a press conference on Sept 13.

“When someone has got that in his belly, you sense it straight away. Obviously, I don’t need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.

“What I see is hunger. He is a player who wants to play every minute of every game. When that is not the case, he’s not happy. He loves football, it’s something he likes doing every single day and I see that.”

Arsenal dropped points in a home draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in their last game before the international break – a match in which midfielder Declan Rice was shown a red card, meaning he will miss out against Spurs as will new signing Mikel Merino (fractured shoulder).

Arteta is also likely to be without captain Martin Odegaard, who suffered an ankle injury playing for Norway, although he offered some optimism on Sept 13, suggesting that the playmaker could still play some part.

“We need some more tests. Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. This afternoon, probably,” the Spaniard said.

“Let’s see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back. Martin wants to be here every day, but we have to wait and see. We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not. Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see.”

He added that forward Gabriel Jesus is available for selection against Tottenham, after missing the games against Aston Villa and Brighton because of a groin injury.

Also welcoming back players from injuries is Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou.

New striker Dominic Solanke signed from Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £65 million (S$110.8 million). But, after making his debut against Leicester City, he missed the next two games with an ankle injury, while defender Micky van de Ven missed the loss at Newcastle United before the international break.

“Micky is all good, he’s trained fully over the international break. Dom (Solanke) is back with the first team, training today... we’ve got training tomorrow, if they get through all right, I guess they’ll be available,” Postecoglou said.

Tottenham have had a mixed start to the season, picking up four points out of the nine available, with a failure to convert enough of their 48 goal attempts in those games costing them.

“Results come sooner rather than later. We’ve got to stay consistent in our approach. We dominated all three games,” said the Australian, who is looking for his first win in the north London derby.

“Results haven’t come but, if we maintain that over 38 games, we’ll be in a good position. We’ve got to keep at it. Stay focused on the important elements of our game.”

Tottenham had marginally the better of the away clash with Arsenal last season, a game that ended in a draw, but lost 3-2 at home after trailing 3-0 at half-time.

Arsenal have re-emerged as Premier League title contenders under Arteta, and Postecoglou said the former Arsenal captain has instilled a relentless mentality in his squad.

“They have this confidence in themselves that they can challenge over the course of the season. They’re going to be a tough nut to crack, but it’s a great opportunity for us,” he said.

Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will likely start for Spurs, despite facing Football Association charges for comments about teammate Son Heung-min during an interview in his home country.

Bentancur apologised to the South Korean star for what he said was a “very bad joke” after saying during a TV interview that “they all look the same”.

“(The charge) was not unexpected from our perspective, we kind of knew that it would be something that gets looked at. We need to let the process sort of play out now and Rodrigo is well aware of the ramifications,” Postecoglou said.

“Sonny and Rodri had their discussion about the incident. Both players understand and respect each other’s position... For me, it’s not just about punishment. It’s about an opportunity to understand and to learn.” REUTERS