Mikel Arteta reveals he will continue Arsenal move that has led to Jose Mourinho comparisons

Mikel Arteta has defended his approach of keeping injury news under wraps ahead of matches.

The Arsenal manager is known for throwing curveballs when it comes to the fitness of his players, often being secretive about updates on those who have been in the treatment room. This was evident last week during the build-up to Arsenal's clash with Liverpool.

Star winger Bukayo Saka had missed the Gunners' previous two games due to a hamstring injury sustained while on England duty. Despite not being seen during Arsenal's final training session before the Reds' visit, he started and scored the opening goal for the Gunners, giving rival left-back Andy Robertson a challenging day on the wing.

Liverpool were taken by surprise by Saka's inclusion in the starting line-up, but Arteta has refused to apologise for keeping his rivals guessing about his squad's status. "For me, I will tell you everything but that has consequences," he said.

"I need to be very careful because sometimes I can tell you a player is going to be a few weeks but is a few months. Sometimes I don't know if a player is going to be fit in two days' time or when the press conference is.

"When I know, I am not going to lie to you. I am not going to say: 'He's not fit' - and then I play him, I would never do that.

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"But if I am certain or I don't want to tell you, I will keep you guessing. This is my job.

"But as well to keep all these guys, everyone alert as well, that is important. I don't want to make it easy for anybody."

Giving a tip to fellow Premier League managers about how best to prepare to face his club, Arteta added: "The opponent has to work and think and prepare and make sure they do their homework like I have to. I wish I knew their starting XI, who is on the bench, but I don't. It is our job to guess and do the work we have to do."

On Sunday, Jamie Carragher compared Arteta to Jose Mourinho. Explaining his opinion, the former Liverpool defender pointed to the Arsenal head coach's secrecy around player fitness as being a trick out of Mourinho's playbook.