Former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has said that Alex Iwobi will fight on at Arsenal even if Arsene Wenger does not continue as manager.
The 21-year-old made his
first-team debut in October 2015 and quickly established himself as an
important part of the Gunners' plans.
However, the Nigeria
international forward has not made an appearance in the Premier League since
the 2-2 draw with Manchester City on April 2, prompting speculation that his
long-term future could be away from Emirates Stadium.
Wenger himself has yet to
confirm if he will sign a new contract to stay on beyond this season, but
Okocha, who is Iwobi's uncle, does not believe the fates of the two men are
linked.
"It's not easy to
break into an Arsenal team from youth," the former Paris Saint-Germain and
Bolton Wanderers man told Omnisport.
"A young player won't
cope with a whole season. It's understandable he's not been playing recently.
Overall he has done well. No player is happy when he's not playing but he's
still learning, he's still young.
"He's not playing for
Wenger. He's playing for Arsenal, even though Wenger gave him the opportunity.
If Wenger goes, he'll fight on."
Okocha hopes to see Wenger
continue in north London and says the often-criticised 67-year-old deserves
significant respect.
"I don't think Wenger
should go," he said. "They've been up there for 20 years, you'd
expect they'd have one or two bad seasons. He's one of the best coaches in the
world and he deserves a lot of respect for what he's done."
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