Wenger, though, did also defend Santos's general attitude on Monday. "He is a player who cares," he said. "He gives an image of himself which is not him. He is serious, he wants to do well, it's about the result, about the team. The Santos story doesn't explain our bad performance at Manchester United."
The wider concern, though, relates to Santos's form. With Vermaelen also struggling and Lukas Podolski offering little help further forward on the left, Santos was exposed against the wing play of Antonio Valencia on Saturday. He was similarly unconvincing in the 2-0 Champions League defeat against Schalke when they met at the Emirates Stadium last month.
Asked if he might play Santos further forward and move Vermaelen to left back, with Laurent Koscielny returning in central defence, Wenger said: "We think deeply about everything before we make those sort of decisions. We will have to sort that problem out anyway."
Wenger was also subjected to the usual personal abuse from Manchester United fans during Saturday's match but he said it no longer bothered him. "You want respect for people," he said. "I know who I am and the only thing that matters is when I face my mirror I can look in it."
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