Arsene Wenger is ready to hand Andrey Arshavin an opportunity to prove his worth in the first team after impressing in the Capital One Cup victory over Coventry.

The 31-year-old has struggled to win over the Arsenal faithful and last season was sent on-loan to Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg, where he was expected to complete a move in the summer.

Andrey Arshavin
Arshavin celebrates after scoring in the 6-1 rout over Coventry [Reuters] Reuters

However, a transfer never materialised and Arshavin had played just 13 minutes for Arsenal prior to the League Cup tie against League One strugglers Coventry.

The attacking midfielder was handed a rare start and he made the most of this sign of faith from Wenger by scoring one goal and claiming three assists in the 6-1 victory.

Now it appears as though he may have the chance to make an impact in the first team after the latest comments from Wenger.

"At the moment the competition is very high [for a first-team place]," Wenger told Arsenal's official website. "But he will get his chance, and he showed here that he deserves it."

Arshavin will now hope to add to the 100 league appearances he has made in his Arsenal career after last season spending much of his time on the bench and starting just eight Premier League games.

The Russian was not the only midfielder looking to make an impression after a difficult spell as Emmanuel Frimpong made a long awaited return.

Frimpong has been left frustrated after a knee injury forced him out of action for the last nine months, but he made his return to the Arsenal first team after coming off as a second half substitute against Coventry.

"We gave him 20 minutes and he looked quite fit," said Wenger. "Of course he needs games now but the good thing is that he could at least play 20 minutes."