Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles decision can’t be avoided forever

Arsenal have a talent in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but something has to give one way or the other. It can’t be avoided for much longer.

Arsenal’s youth development has been called into question lately, as very few youth prospects have amounted to much of anything outside of their initial potential. Alex Iwobi looked to buck that trend, but is struggling to.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles may be able to as well. The young Englishman has such a cool head on his shoulders that some wonder if he might be too calm under pressure. There’s no hiding how little he succumbs to pressure from the opposition.

Whether that be in midfield or at either fullback, Maitland-Niles has some fantastic building-block skills that make him one to keep an eye on.

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The question, though, is when we will address the haunting question that has driven off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and already been called into the realm of Reiss Nelson – what is he?

Nearly all of Maitland-Niles’ appearances have come at fullback, which is not his natural position, though he has done quite well in that capacity. He wants to play central midfield, as every seems to do, but it often looks as though inexperience is still ripe at this primary position.

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Something has to give. Either Maitland-Niles has to reassess what he wants and come to terms with life at fullback or Arsenal have to accept that he is going to be a central midfielder. Unfortunately, there probably isn’t any middle ground. There wasn’t for the Ox and Nelson is looking like a question mark as well.

The longer this decision is put off, the more risk presents itself. What prevents Maitland-Niles from seeing how the Ox now plays central midfield for Liverpool?

Personally, I would love to see Maitland-Niles accept a change of position and settle on fullback, because he has shown so much talent at the role. It would solve a summer problem straight off – that of Hector Bellerin‘s future.

The Englishman was deployed at rightback for the first time and, unsurprisingly, he showed an affinity for it. An affinity that, with a few years experience, could put him in fine fettle for the position.

But that’s asking a lot of a player to change his position solely because the club could use him better there.

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Whatever the case, something has to give. He won’t reach his full potential as a “floater” that goes wherever there’s an opening. The man needs a position, something the Ox never got.