Mikel Arteta believes Bruno Guimaraes is 'hitting serious levels' after Arsenal's 1-0 win over Hull City on Saturday. Martin Odegaard's second-half goal sealed the victory for the Premier League champions, putting them six points clear at the top of the table after Manchester City's 3-1 defeat away to Nottingham Forest.
Guimaraes impresses in midfield
Guimaraes was handed only his fourth start in the Premier League this season following his £75 million move from Newcastle United in the summer transfer window. The Brazil international delivered an impressive performance alongside Declan Rice at the heart of Arsenal's midfield.
Arteta praised the midfielder's impact after the match, saying: 'He's much better, he had a massive impact, he's hitting serious levels now, but we can still take him to another level. That's my conviction, I told him that in the dressing room – he owned a lot of moments in the game but there is still much more to come.'
Madueke earns praise on the right flank
Arteta also praised Noni Madueke for another lively performance on Arsenal's right flank in the absence of Bukayo Saka. The manager highlighted the winger's response to limited playing time.
'That's the second part of the story – the first is that you need to earn the right to be able to do that,' Arteta said. 'Noni did that, he reacted to not playing often, went away, started to train and was a different Noni. He wasn't going to accept that situation, he meant business, and since then he has been incredible. Now you are in that position, he needs to hone and improve it, so let's see if he can do that.'
