Arsenal

Hector Bellerin: 'Arsenal players must learn to deal with abuse'

By Leo Nieboer | 05 November 2019

Hector Bellerin insists that Arsenal players must learn to cope with abuse following Granit Xhaka's public outburst towards the club's supporters.

Hector Bellerin has insisted that Arsenal players must learn to cope with abuse following Granit Xhaka's public outburst towards the club's supporters.

Xhaka cursed at the Emirates crowd and threw his hands in the air ahead of going straight down the tunnel during a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last month.

Following a public statement in which Xhaka revealed his dismay at abuse from supporters, Unai Emery stripped the midfielder of the captaincy.

Speaking on the subject of his former captain, Bellerin told The Mirror: "But I said to Granit, this is like in every single other walk of life: there are ups and downs. One day you are at the top, the other day you are low.

"These are things we need to learn to deal with. The good thing is when these things happen to you personally, you have a whole squad that can back you, a whole squad that support you."

Bellerin himself has suffered vicious online abuse and even momentarily deleted his Twitter account following a poor performance against Palace in 2017.

It is claimed that Arsenal players were angry with Emery for the way he handled the Xhaka situation, with the manager condemning the Swiss international after the incident.