Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin was reportedly left seething with manager Arsene Wenger after being pulled out of the starting lineup to face Brighton & Hove Albion just hours before kickoff.

Bellerin was expected to start against the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium and had trained as normal with the squad for the previous two days in preparation for the match.

However, Wenger is understood to have hooked Bellerin from the starting XI just two hours before kickoff, replacing him with Calum Chambers.

The Gunners went on to lose the match 2-1 for their fourth successive defeat across all competitions, and Bellerin reportedly feels that he is being made a scapegoat for the team's recent poor form.

The incident could push the 22-year-old closer to the exit door at the Emirates Stadium, with former club Barcelona having held a long-standing interest in bringing him back to Camp Nou.

Bellerin himself was keen on the move last summer only to be denied by Wenger, but the Spaniard could now demand a transfer having been left unhappy at the way he has been treated by the Frenchman.