Arsene Wenger: Wojciech Szczesny has a great future at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger insists Wojciech Szczesny has a “great future” at Arsenal despite the goalkeeper being dropped for the Gunners’ last two games.

The Poland international was replaced in goal by Lukasz Fabianski for the wins over Bayern Munich and Swansea City, with Wenger citing “mental fatigue” as the reason for resting the 22-year-old.

Szczesny was forced to release a statement last week to apologise for comments made by his father in which he claimed that Wenger had made his son a “scapegoat”.

But Wenger has issued his backing for the shot-stopper and insists that competition between Fabianski and Szczesny is to be expected.

“I haven’t spoken to him [about his father’s comments] and I believe he responded very well,” Wenger told a news conference on Thursday.

“There is a not a lot more to say. We are in a competitive world, he has nearly played 100 games for this club and at his age that is absolutely fantastic.

“The rest, we have ups and downs in our form and we have to fight against that. That’s what he said, basically.

“He has a great future. He is a very young goalkeeper. You do not find very many goalkeepers at his age who have the experience he has already.

“That’s why I believe he has a great future. But he lives in a world where competition exists.”