He also couldn't have dreamed of a better start, however. It's been a rather strange 2020 for the Portugal international as he arrived at the Emirates Stadium on loan from Southampton during the January transfer window. The right-back was brought in as cover for Hector Bellerin, but arrived with a knee injury, which Arsenal hoped would only see him ruled out for around three weeks.However, his recovery was not as quick as expected and the 28-year-old hadn’t featured by the time Soares has now shaken off the knee problem, but he hasn’t played any part in either of Arsenal’s two friendlies during the past week, against Charlton and He was ruled out of both games after suffering a nasty facial injury when a ball hit him in the face during training, causing severe swelling around his nose and his left eye.Should he miss those games, it means Soares could leave the Gunners without playing a single game for the club as his loan is due to expire on June 30.A short-term deal has yet to be agreed and although Arsenal, who have seven league games to play after June 30 as well as two potential fixtures in the Arsenal paid Southampton a loan fee of just under £1 million for Soares in January and agreed to cover his wages, believed to be around £65,000 a week, for the rest of the campaign.At the time of signing the right-back, Gunners technical director Edu said: "I know he is a player who plays with absolute full commitment and energy. {{#replies}} The full-back made his move to Arsenal in an initial six-month loan deal from Southampton back in January. Cédric Ricardo Alves Soares CvIH ComM (born 31 August 1991), ... Cédric scored his first goal for his country on 17 June 2017, netting in the 86th minute of an eventual 2–2 group stage draw to Mexico at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup at the Kazan Arena in Russia. It was an incredible start for the defender, who may have a big part to play for Arsenal throughout the season's remainder. I hope he stays at the club for a long time because I think he will be a great manager." Cedric Soares made his long-awaited Arsenal debut in emphatic style with a stunning long-range effort to put Arsenal 4-0 up late on against Norwich. He has been very, very positive with all the players and I think everyone is improving and working harder. Watch Cedric Soares score incredible debut goal as Arsenal beat Norwich 4-0 In May 2018, he was named in Portugal's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. "This is a process and it will take time, but I think in the future the team will have better and better performances. He respects us all, first as people, and after that as footballers, which is very important. "Everyone wants to do more and do better and that's something that the coach has helped us a lot with," said the 28-year-old. The Portuguese could not have anticipated it would be six months until he made his first Arsenal appearance. {{#singleComment}}{{value}} Comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} Comments{{/singleComment}} De Gea makes early strides in popularity contest Pellegrino: Austria trip is vital External Link. He can play in a four or a five, he's a really good player with experience in the Premier League that can help us. Cédric Soares, latest news & rumours, player profile, detailed statistics, career details and transfer information for the Arsenal FC player, powered by Goal.com. Struggles with a pre-existing knee injury - alongside the enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic - meant his debut was pushed back, however. Latest Arsenal news includes fan reaction as Cedric Soares marked his Gunners debut with a goal in the 4-0 win over Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday eveningCedric Soares has marked his Arsenal debut with a goal.It's been a rather strange 2020 for the Portugal international as he arrived at the Emirates Stadium on loan from Southampton during the January transfer window.However, injury and the coronavirus pandemic meant he had to wait a while to make his first appearance in Arsenal colours.But even when the 2019/20 season resumed a fortnight ago a facial injury kept him out of games against Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Southampton and Sheffield United.In that time, Cedric managed to earn a permanent four-year deal with the north London outfit.And he celebrated penning that deal as well as finally making his debut in some style by getting on the scoresheet as the Gunners thumped Norwich City 4-0.It took the defender a matter of moments after coming on for Hector Bellerin to make an instant impact and the goal prompted a big response from Arsenal fans.Some noticed that Cedric used his left foot to score the goal, proving that he is ambidextrous.In each football.london Arsenal bulletin, we'll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans.We'll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there's a special event happening.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'.If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to.