Martin Keown issues warning to Arsenal’s Pablo Mari after return

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Martin Keown has told BT Sport (broadcast on 3/12; 22:05) what he made of Pablo Mari’s display following his return to the Arsenal lineup on Thursday, before seemingly issuing a warning to the centre-back.

Mari was arguably the surprise name included in the Gunners’ squad to face Rapid Vienna. The 27-year-old had not played since June due to an ankle injury (via Daily Mirror).

But he made up for lost time on Thursday. He scored Arsenal’s second goal as they stormed to an emphatic 4-1 win in front of a section of their fanbase at the Emirates.

It looked to be a solid return to the fold for Mari. But Keown thinks that it may be some time before he is featuring regularly given the teammate sat ahead of him in the pecking order.

“At the moment, I still think he’s a little bit short,” he told BT Sport. “You can see that he’s had an operation. He’s been out for a hell of a long time, so he’s got to get that back again and it’s about developing.

“Gabriel is the best central defender and he plays on the left side, so for me, he’s the first choice. And he’s going to have a hell of a job to get ahead of him.”

Mari will be under no illusions. He will surely know that it is going to take some time before he is back to full sharpness. And thus, he will be aware that he will have to bide his time.

But he deserves enormous credit for looking so impressive after such a substantial period on the sidelines. And Arsenal fans can certainly expect to see a lot more of Mari over the coming months.