Ivory Coast boss Patrice Beaumelle has admitted it is painful watching Arsenal star Nicolas Pepe barely play at club level. 'The Elephants' are in action against England at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The talented winger was signed from Ligue 1 outfit Lille for a club-record £72million but has struggled for consistency in the Premier League. In recent times he has fallen down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta, starting just five league matches this season.
And Beaumelle has claimed that it is hard to watch the 26-year-old barely used by the Spaniard this term. Speaking about Pepe, he said, as per The Mirror : "When I watch Nico on the bench it is painful for him as he loves to play and it is painful for me because I need my players on the pitch for club games.
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"I would like him to play more as I am sure he can bring a lot of solutions. When you see what he brings to Ivory Coast, I would like to see him bring so much fun and joy and happiness and goals with the red jersey."
This comes after the player himself admitted that he is unsure of what his future holds, claiming that he is merely focused on helping the club end their five-year UEFA Champions League hiatus. Speaking on Monday, he said: "I am focused on how well we do until the end of the season and the club's target, which is getting into the Champions League.
"Then we will see what happens." The Gunners sit fourth in the current league standings, three points ahead of Antonio Conte's Tottenham Hotspur, who have played a game more than their local rivals.
