Speaking after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Stoke on Saturday, former Gunner, Ian Wright, explained how Arsene Wenger should give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain more of a chance.

This season, the Ox has been like a different player. Well, not quite. He’s been much more like the player we always knew he was but his lack of confidence stood in the way.

So far, he’s exceeded his tally for last term by a long way, netting six goals in 21 appearances and assisting the same amount. Considering a lot of these have been from the bench, that’s brilliant going and Wrighty knows it.

“I’ve got to say the Ox was very good today [against Stoke yesterday]. Really good. He played fantastically well,” Wright told BBC5Live.

“I’m really pleased to see him get in a little bit of a run at the moment.

“He played very well last week against West Ham. He seems to have continued the form.

“What I’d love to see is for him to actually get a good run in there.

“He seems to be the guy who’s always left out or taken off, whether he’s playing well or not and I’d love to see him get a run. 

“You just want to be able to know that yes, ‘I might have a couple of games where it’s not quite going for me’ but you want the manager to keep you in there so that you can get through that phase so you can stay part of the main team.

“That’s what I think that the Ox craves.”

While I understand where Wright is coming from and the Ox IS currently getting more and more starts, if he does have an off period, Wenger can’t just stick with him if it’s to the detriment of the team.

Saying this, hopefully the 23-year-old just keeps giving the boss reasons to continue to start him.