Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal “need” Raheem Sterling to discover his best form as soon as possible.

Sterling has failed to impress thus far following his summer loan switch from Chelsea but has been thrust into the starting lineup following a series of injuries to fellow forwards Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

A sub-par showing saw his outing against Leicester City curtailed shortly after the hour mark, with Arsenal’s eventual match-winner Mikel Merino taking his place on the field.

Despite concerns from fans about Sterling’s role, Arteta has backed the winger to play a significant part in the remainder of the season if he can rediscover the form he showed at Manchester City earlier in his career.

“He has to have [a big impact] because we really need him,” Arteta said.

“Raheem is so experienced, and like many other players, we know that what you did yesterday is not whether it was really good or not. That could be relevant to the next game, to the next action. He’s fully focused, he’s trained really well this week, and he is ready to go again.”

Asked whether Sterling could be struggling with confidence after making only four Premier League starts, Arteta continued: “Hopefully not because we try to give him as much as possible, but that’s a question for him.

“We are all behind him, we want the best for him and it is important that we need his best. We need players only with that mindset, to impact the team. He is doing everything that he possibly can to make it work.”

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