Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about one of his summer signings (Image: Getty)

Mikel Arteta has called the Arsenal star a “major headache” and is “very close” to starting more games.

The Gunners are at the top of the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester City and one game clear of Saturday’s clash with Leicester City.

The north London side returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa last week after three top-flight games without a win.

Ahead of the Foxes game, Arteta revealed Fabio Vieira, who signed in the summer, is on the verge of starting more games for the club.

The attacking midfielder has come off the bench in the Gunners’ last four Premier League games and provided an assist in the final game against Villa.

When asked how close Vieira was to a league start, Arteta said: “Very close.

“He’s starting to give me a huge headache because every day I see what he’s capable of. A great player.

“He now understands exactly what we want and physically he is a requirement to be able to participate in this competition at the right level.

“He brings qualities that we don’t have in the team. I would like to give him more.

Asked about the 22-year-old’s strengths and weaknesses, Arteta added: “If he has to fight for 30 balls in the air against certain players in this league, I think he’s going to lose 28.

“But if we give him the ball in the right places and ask him to do some defensive work, he can…

“If we put him in front of goal as often as we want, I think he will do very well in this competition.

“But if we do the opposite, I don’t think he will do well.”