Arsenal interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg has hinted that he expects the club to appoint a permanent manager to replace him soon.
The Swede has taken charge of four games since the sacking of Unai Emery, overseeing one win, two draws and a defeat.
Arsenal are set for a gruelling run of fixtures that includes home encounters with Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United which could make or break the Gunners’ top-four hopes.
A Premier League visit from reigning champions Manchester City is next on the list, and it appears Ljungberg expects that his final game in charge is coming soon, hinting that he may not be around to work with the information gleaned from the next few games.
“It is a very tough run of games that we have, so of course we will learn a lot,” Ljungberg said in his pre-match press conference.
“I will if I am here, or you guys [the media] will learn a lot about our players.”
Ljungberg has also revealed that the number of backroom staff he is working with is limited, but he has not been given license to bring anyone in until a decision is made on who the next permanent boss will be.
“The club have said I have to wait until they make a decision, so yeah, I can’t do anything at the moment [regarding coaching staff].
“I have Per [Mertesacker] but at the same time he is academy manager, but he is helping me with coaching.
“The club has said when they make a decision that’s it, or I am obviously leaving, or maybe then we can do something with the staff. But it is up to the club.
“It’s far from me to say [if an appointment should be made quickly]. If you look at the person who was here before, he had a lot of staff and maybe I don’t have so many. So if you keep on going like that for months and months, it’s not so easy. But that’s totally up to the club.”
Arsenal are ninth in the league, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and need to turn their season around soon to avoid being left without Champions League football for a fourth consecutive season.