Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said that Hector Bellerin will not start against Manchester United on Monday night as he follows the advice given to him by the medical staff.

The Spaniard has been out since January and played the last 15 minutes against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday before grabbing an assist almost immediately after coming on. However, Emery thinks the defender needs to build up his game time slowly:

“I think no. Maybe in his mind yes, but we need to listen to the doctor and the doctor wants to do it progressively. Really tonight is the first day and the first minutes, and we are going to maybe share some minutes with the under-23s.”

“It depends how he’s feeling, but in his mind, he’s feeling very well and I think the first minutes tonight were amazing for him. We are going to use him with Ainsley [Maitland-Niles] and Calum Chambers to help us in this position.”

There is always a risk of getting another injury if a player comes back too soon, and Emery is being cautious with Bellerin’s comeback. It seems the right-back could even play for the Under 23s against Liverpool on Saturday.

That would probably rule him out of the squad for the United game. With Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning from suspension and Calum Chambers showing excellent form against Forest, it seems the pair will be given the nod ahead of Bellerin for the clash at Old Trafford.