Arsenal are considering sending Nuno Tavares out on loan next season, though they may wait until the January transfer window to do so.

The Athletic report that Arsenal have discussed the possibility of sending Nuno Tavares out on loan to help with his development.

Nothing is decided yet, and it’s noted that the Europa League group stage could also be a great platform for Tavares to work on his game.

Arsenal could look to loan the 22-year-old and bring in a replacement in January instead.

Mikel Arteta relies on Kieran Tierney as his starting left-back whenever the Scottish international is available. The issue is that Tierney’s fitness is unreliable, and at any moment, Tavares could be thrust back into the limelight.

It happened this season, with Arsenal forced to use Tavares throughout the final two months of the campaign.

It went well enough on some occasions. The former Benfica man played 90 minutes in the wins over Chelsea, Manchester United, and West Ham, for example.

But on other occasions, Tavares’ presence proved costly to the team. Even his goalscoring performance in the United win was marred by his concession of a penalty.

The generous interpretation of Tavares’ season is that he’s experiencing the unpredictable highs and lows of a young player.

He’s only 22 and still hasn’t made 100 senior appearances, even including his time with Benfica’s B team.

But perhaps a loan and regular game time are necessary to establish whether the defender actually has the potential to kick on, or whether he’s simply an inconsistent player.