Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has reiterated that he is willing to give Mathieu Debuchy a run in the side if needed following the full-back's recent resurgence.
Debuchy opened the scoring in the Gunners' resounding 6-0 victory against BATE Borisov on Thursday night for his first goal in almost three years.
The French defender has enjoyed a run of games in the Europa League this term, having put his injury woes behind him for the time being, and Wenger says that there could still be a future for Debuchy in North London.
"He is under contract [until 2019]," he told reporters. "It's down to his performances now and I opened the door for him [to leave] many times because he didn't play and because he has [Hector] Bellerin in front of him.
"I consider him like anybody else and I must say I have a huge respect for his professional side and how much he did fight to come back to the top. He's a tough, tough guy. Tough worker."
Debuchy has featured four times in the Europa League this term and once in the EFL Cup, playing a full part in the 2-1 extra-time win over Norwich City in October.
Daniel Lewis
