Journalist Charles Watts has slammed Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira for his performance as the Gunners were eliminated from the Europa League.

What happened to Arsenal against Sporting CP?

The Gunners were sub-par as Sporting CP took them to penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, and were stunned as the visitors secured a place in the quarter-finals at their expense.

To make matters worse, William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu were substituted after suffering injuries, and despite Mikel Arteta naming a strong side, the Premier League leaders were knocked out.

Although there were a number of fairly poor performers, Fabio Vieira had a particularly disappointing night, and Watts has bemoaned his lack of confidence on the pitch.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts gave the Portuguese midfielder a match rating of 3/10 - lower than anyone else - and offered his thoughts on the ex-Porto man's display.

He said: "Vieira, I gave a three; I thought Vieira had a shocker. He got worse as the game went on as well.

"I don't know if it was just a complete lack of confidence after a few things didn't work out for him, but he had a really poor night.

"It was a big opportunity for him with Odegaard not starting, it was a big chance for Vieira to kind of stamp his authority on a game in a creative point of view and he just didn't do it. I thought it was a poor performance."

How has Vieira's first season at Arsenal been?

The midfielder signed from FC Porto for around £34m in the summer, but given his age and the length of his contract, it seems clear he arrived as a signing for the long term.

He has started just two of his 17 league appearances this season, and whilst his final ball has been impressive at times - registering six assists in all competitions - his slight physical stature has meant that he is sometimes bullied out of games.

Although he is still raw, question marks have started to appear over the 22-year-old, but there is clearly potential with Vieira.

A long-term injury to Emile Smith Rowe may have given Vieira more first-team opportunities than he would have got, but this may also have put more pressure on him to make more of an immediate impact in his first season at Arsenal.

He made 76 senior appearances for Porto, and was not even a regular starter until the latter part of the previous campaign. With 14 assists in just 15 league starts, he quickly established himself as one of Portugal's brightest talents, and whilst it has been a tough settling-in period for him, it is arguably too early to judge his time in the Premier League so far.

Therefore, the hope will be that his display against Sporting is not a sign of things to come.