Pulis explains omission of Arsenal loanee

Matt Stead

Tony Pulis has moved to explain why Arsenal loanee Serge Gnabry is struggling for game time at West Brom so far this season.

German winger Gnabry moved to The Hawthorns in the summer, with Arsenal expecting the 20-year-old would receive some much-needed first-team football this season.

However, Pulis has handed Gnabry just 12 minutes from the bench to impress so far, with the former Stoke manager preferring to keep West Brom’s average of 29.2 intact.

“Serge has come here to play games, but he just hasn’t been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games,” Pulis said of Gnabry, who played nine Premier League games for Arsenal last season, scoring one goal.

“He’s come from academy football and not played much league football.

“Does academy football really prepare players for league football? And we’re talking about Premier League football here.

“As a manager you pick a team that’s going to win a game of football.

“You pick your best team, you don’t leave people out because you don’t like them, because of this, that and the other.”