Martin Keown shared that he thought Per Mertesacker’s performance for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest could have seen him retire on Sunday.
The former Gunner spoke on BT Sport following the game and criticised the defender while complimenting Forest attacker Ben Brereton’s ability to show him up.
“What he has (Brereton) done to Holding and Mertesacker today, he may have actually retired Mertesacker today,” admitted Keown.
“Because it has told me that Mertesacker can’t play in a four, they’ve been used to playing in a three and they were exposed.”
Mertesacker scored in the game for the Gunners, but his side still suffered a 4-2 defeat courtesy of their Championship opponents which saw them exit the FA Cup at the third round stage.
Arsenal won the trophy last season but with their defeat on Sunday it saw them eliminated from the tournament and caused Arsene Wenger’s impressive record to end.
Ahead of the game, Wenger had never lost a third round tie in the tournament, which had helped him become the most successful manager in FA Cup history.
OPINION
The writing has been on the wall for Mertesacker’s Arsenal career for the last couple of seasons now, and he rightfully retires in the summer. However, it was still a shock to see such an experience player torn apart by the 18-year-old Brereton. While his pace has been lacking for a while, the veteran defender should have had the edge and been one step ahead of the striker. This wasn’t the case and despite scoring a goal, Keown is right to put the spotlight on the defender after Arsenal’s shock defeat.