Originally Posted by
Syn
He should've been nowhere near the team right now. His confidence was shot a long time ago and persisting with him just made it worse and worse. He has certainly been the season's biggest disappointment. But I think he has got talent and I'm willing to remain patient with him a while longer. Let him have a full pre-season (maybe a jog out at the Olympics), and hopefully he can settle down. This is where Wenger should earn his money - he needs to have a word with him.
It's easy to write someone off; he's 21 years old and missed a year of development when he was starting to establish himself in the first team. There's no fixed timescale to get back on track - it could've taken a few months, it might never happen. If it doesn't happen by the end of next season, it's unfortunate but we need to move on and he'll need to find a new club. But I'm willing to give him a chance. Obviously he shouldn't be playing right now but I hope he's in better shape (particularly mentally) next season.