Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hinted that he might give young defender Krystian Bielik a run in the first team this season.

The 18-year-old joined the Gunners in January 2015 as a defensive midfielder but has since been converted into a centre-back by Wenger, who is now short in that area following Per Mertesacker's knee injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the year.

Wenger has admitted that he is in the market for a central defender, with rumoured interest in Jonny Evans and Shkodran Mustafi, but may turn to Bielik as a short-term solution.

"Bielek has all the qualities and ingredients to be a top level centre-back," he told reporters on Arsenal's pre-season tour of the US.

"The one thing he is missing is the experience in this position because he came to us as a central midfielder, but I converted him into a centre-back because I felt he can play the type of football we want to play as a centre-back.

"Many times this is a position for experienced players because you pay for every mistake with a goal in this position, in the Premier League. What I have try to do with him this season is to work on his positional play and improve him, and give him some games. If in December, he is not ready, we will try and get him to play somewhere."

Wenger also has youngsters Calum Chambers and summer signing Rob Holding available to fill the position.