Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta believes Pablo Mari is "ready" for his first taste of Premier League action after impressing on his debut.
The Spaniard, who arrived on loan from Flamengo in January, has been forced to wait for to make his bow for the Gunners with David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi forming a centre-back partnership in recent weeks.
But the 26-year-old was finally handed his first outing in a red shirt in the 2-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup fifth round, excelling alongside Luiz at the heart of the defence.
Mustafi and Luiz are expected to start against West Ham, but with Mari earning plaudits from pundits and fans, Arteta revealed he would be willing to use the defender if he is left short of defensive options.
"He's recovered really well from the [Portsmouth] game," Arteta said.
"He played 45 minutes with the Under-23s four days before that game. [Then] he played 90 [minutes] and he said he's physically good.
"He trained well and I think he's ready to play if we need him again on Saturday.”
The north London side are 10th in the table ahead of their clash at the Emirates Stadium and will move level on points with rivals Tottenham if they take all three points against the struggling Hammers.
