Arsenal have reportedly denied Dani Ceballos’ wish to cut his loan spell short.
The Spaniard has grown frustrated with his lack of involvement despite being fit for the last few games.
He is yet to register a single minute on the pitch under Mikel Arteta after spending the past two months on the sidelines with a hamstring pull. Fans have seen Mesut Ozil consistently get picked in the attacking midfield role for Arsenal but Ceballos not even handed a substitute appearance.
The midfielder seemingly is fed up and wants to return to Real Madrid this January but the Gunners told him otherwise, according to AS in Spain. Mikel Arteta has already revealed how few opportunities he has had to judge the player in training. He told reporters, “I had a conversation with Dani. When I joined the club he wasn’t here, he was in Madrid because he was doing his rehab for over a month in Madrid – the team that owns him. And then when I came here he was doing his rehab for the first two or three weeks, he was getting back to fitness.
“And I haven’t seen much of him because he only trained with us a week or 10 days. So it’s very early to assess what I can do or cannot do with him. I heard about all those things but I have nothing to comment.”
When asked what Ceballos needs to do to be part of Arteta’s plans, the Spanish coach added, “He needs to get back to fitness and fight for his place like any other teammate. And after that we will make the selection that I think is fair with what I see on the pitch.”
With an FA Cup fourth round tie coming up against Bournemouth, fans will be hoping to see Ceballos in the starting XI. If not, it could the final straw for the 24-year-old in calling it quits at the Emirates.
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