Mikel Arteta has explained why he substituted Nuno Tavares after just 34 minutes on Sunday afternoon with a blunt response.
The Arsenal manager ruthlessly hooked youngster against Nottingham Forest during the humiliating FA Cup defeat.
Tavares - who wasn't carrying an injury - was furious with Arteta's decision, throwing his gloves off in disgust as he headed for the bench.
It was an embarrassing moment for the 21-year-old, who was serenaded with taunts of "you're going to cry in a minute" from Forest supporters.
Arteta, though, showed no sympathy for Tavares when asked about his brutal decision after the game.
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"I just did it to try to improve the performance of the team," said the Spaniard.
When asked if he'd considered the story the substitution would create, Arteta replied: "I understand that but I have to make the decision to try to improve the performance of the team when it’s not going in any other direction."
And when pushed further on what Tavares did to be hauled off, the manager said: "I don't want to talk about any individuals."
The 21-year-old joined Arsenal from Benfica last summer and, although he's impressed, has been prone to the odd poor performance, most notably against Liverpool in November.
Speaking about Tavares reaction to being sent off on punditry, Arsenal legend Ian Wright said: "He has started [the game] poorly.
"He is coming off and he’s thrown his gloves down, I think this is the wrong manager to do that with. Showing that kind of attitude.
"I think the disrespect he is showing at the minute is something Mikel Arteta won’t like, especially given the performance he has put in."
Manchester United legend Roy Keane added: "Why is he upset? He must know [he’s at risk of being taken off]. He's right in front of the dugout and the manager, he's been sloppy in everything he's done.
"Ok, a player can make a mistake but that sloppiness is down to his attitude and the way he started the game and you can’t start a game like that. You’ll get dragged off."
Arteta was clearly disappointed with the result, as Arsenal's hopes of winning the FA Cup came to an abrupt end in Nottingham.
A late goal from Lewis Grabban was enough for the two-time European champions to set up a home tie against holders Leicester in the fourth round.
"They won, they scored a goal and we didn't," Arteta told ITV Sport. "We were not good enough and we have to apologise for it.
"I don’t want to use excuses, I expect the team I put out to do better and when you don’t in the cup you are out.
"Today showed we were not capable of winning against Forest away from home and didn’t put in the level to win the game. It’s a collective issue and today we have not done it."
