Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain eyeing Premier League starts after cup brace

Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hopes he will be given more Premier League starts after his recent impressive displays for the Gunners.

Oxlade-Chamberlain netted both goals in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, and also scored in the 6-0 victory over Ludogorets in the Champions League last week.

However, he has not started a Premier League game since Sept. 10 and said this month that he may have to consider his Arsenal future next summer if he doesn't get more playing time.

When asked if his current form will lead to more league starts, the England international said: "Yeah, I hope so. Any game that I play in is an opportunity for me to show what I can do ... and hopefully that form will carry over into the league and be rewarded with more starts."

Oxlade-Chamberlain has fallen behind Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi in the pecking order for a place on the wing, but Arsene Wenger said after Tuesday's game that he is close to competing for a starting spot.

"He's not a long way away from the starting XI because he played against Ludogorets, he played here which was expected, but Ludogorets was a very important game," Wenger said. "He came on against Middlesbrough on Saturday and I feel that he is regularly involved."

Oxlade-Chamberlain was playing with his good friend Carl Jenkinson behind him in the right-back position for the first time since 2014 as the defender made his comeback from a long-term knee injury. Jenkinson, who grew up as an Arsenal fan, tore knee ligaments in January while on loan at West Ham, where he spent the last two seasons.

"It felt brilliant. It's been a long time coming," Jenkinson said about his comeback. "Of course, I was on loan for a couple of years and that was really good for me. But coming back and having nine months out injured has been very tough. So days and nights like tonight make it all worthwhile."

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