Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: Arsene Wenger’s last batch of starlets

By Flavis Thomas

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal and Dusan Tadic of Southampton battle for possession during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Southampton at Emirates Stadium on April 8, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal and Dusan Tadic of Southampton battle for possession during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Southampton at Emirates Stadium on April 8, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Ainsley Maitland-Niles
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 31: Allan Nyom of West Bromwich Albion and Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal battle for the ball during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on December 31, 2017 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (England)

Total Appearances – 36

Positions Played – CDM, LB, RB

Debut Season – 2014-15

To say that Ainsley Maitland-Niles has had a barnstorming season would be an understatement. He has probably been one of the few bright spots in what has been a dire season for Arsenal. Blessed with remarkable physical capabilities and excellent game awareness, Maitland-Niles has been Wenger’s ultimate utility man, slotting in the midfield and defence admirably. That many pundits felt that he should have started ahead of Hector Bellerin in the semi-final against Atletico Madrid shows how far he has come. His improvement can be attributed to his loan stint at Ipswich town last season.

What does the new manager do? Give him more first-team opportunities. Simple as that. Eventually, he would be set to a particular role, but till then the manager would have a smart utility player who has pace and stamina to burn.

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