Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny must be harnessed to fill Granit Xhaka void

Arsenal’s midfield is going to be a massive question mark against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, but it really shouldn’t be.

Arsenal would certainly feel more confident if Granit Xhaka could be counted up on in their starting XI, but the Swiss will be missing due to an injury sustained at White Hart Lane. Xhaka may not have won many fans this year, but the ones he has won (myself included) can fully appreciate what he brings to this squad, even as the haters rain on him.

Anyway, enough of that, the next step is to figure out how to cope with his absence. Obviously Aaron Ramsey stays in there, as his work ethic and ability to get forward is the offensive push often needed from deep.

Who fills in next to him is the question and there are one of two answers: Francis Coquelin or Mohamed Elneny.

There is only one answer, actually, and it is the latter. The best thing we can try to do is replicate what Xhaka brought, and that will certainly not come at the feet of the Frenchman, whose passing leads more to scoffs and jeers than effective, probing balls.

Coquelin is an enforcer who has never developed further. He is a ball winner, not a ball retainer. He is what the Gunner’s most certainly do not need against a likely dumbed-down Manchester United side.

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Instead, the mantle must again be handed to the Egyptian Elneny, who best replicates what Xhaka has. While he isn’t the greatest midfield defender, he is a workhorse, a tireless pest to the opposition, and he has instincts to get forward.

The shared similarities between Ramsey and Elneny might give rise to some wariness, but Elneny has shown that he can be harnessed. He doesn’t always have to have free reign, as he did during his brief tenure as Xhaka’s partner.

It is Elneny’s versatility that it is his greatest asset. Whereas Ramsey is best left alone and unharnessed, due to the side affects of tampering with his effectiveness, Elneny seems to have the same baseline quality no matter what his responsibilities are.

Plus, he has upside.

And maybe he slips in a few forward runs from deep positions. It wouldn’t be the end of the world.

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Coquelin has unfortunately become too specialized a player to find consistent usage. The more minutes he players, the more his limitations become clearer. Let Elneny flex his malleable self on this match, the effects will be far more conducive to a fluid effort.