Arsene Wenger hails stand-in goalkeeper Matt Macey after Europa League draw

Arsenal saw out a 0-0 draw Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night to book their place in the last-32 of the Europa League

Matt Macey makes a save for Arsenal in the second half (Getty)

Arsene Wenger hailed stand-in goalkeeper Matt Macey who made two good saves in Arsenal’s otherwise positive-free 0-0 draw with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night.

Macey had to deny Red Star twice at the end of the first half, palming Slavoljub Srnic shot over and stretching to tip a Vujadin Savic shot onto the crossbar. But it was a solid clean sheet for the 23-year-old goalkeeper on just his second senior appearance for Arsenal.

“I think he took his chance very well,” Wenger said of Macey. “He is huge, he is quick, and you don’t often find that combination, of that size and that speed. He is very agile.”

Macey has gone on loan at Accrington and Luton but is now the third-choice goalkeeper at Arsenal this season and is likely to get more chances if David Ospina is still out. “Matt came to us late, normally goalkeepers come at 16, but he came at 20 basically. But he is very focused, and that is what I was pleased to give him a chance tonight, and he took it.”

Wenger added that Jack Wilshere will need more games before he can fully ready to play his best football for Arsenal and England. “He needs this kind of games to come back to his best level,” Wenger said. “What Jack needs is to be injury-free for a long period, or until the end of the season, to get games like that. He could have been [in the England squad], he was not, but if he keeps his fitness, maybe next time.”