AARON RAMSDALE's father has criticised Mikel Arteta's handling of his son losing the Arsenal No 1 spot, saying: 'My son has lost his smile.'

The England goalkeeper signed a new deal at the Emirates in May - having been first choice for the previous two seasons.

But after David Raya joined on loan from Brentford over the summer, Ramsdale has not started a league game since the 3-1 win over Manchester United on September 3.

Ramsdale's father Nick told the Highbury Squad podcast: 'We did not have a clue (Ramsdale was going to be dropped). He didn't have a clue that he was not going to carry on playing.

'Aaron is going to be the Cup goalkeeper, and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending-off. And he is living with that even though he's not been told it. By anybody.

'You've got to give the guy a chance, for God's sake. Squads evolve all the time, nobody is going to be there for ever. The way it's been done, in my eyes, is wrong.'

He went on to say that his son has found it difficult to keep positive after losing his place.

'Aaron lost that smile. It really is difficult to see him there,' he said, having been shown a picture of his son smiling in training.

'We all keep saying, "You need to keep smiling". And at the moment in time, we haven't got that smile in him.'

Martin Odegaard is expected to be available for Arsenal's next match, against Brentford, after missing their last three games with concussion and hip issues.

With Thomas Partey a long-term absentee, Arsenal may abandon the pursuit of a striker and focus on recruiting a central midfielder in the January transfer window.

Manager Arteta is interested in Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, although finances are limited after the Gunners' PS200million spend in the summer.