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Ainsley Maitland-Niles has returned to training and could feature later this month. The Arsenal midfielder has undeserved work and unfinished business to complete.
It was horribly disappointing to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles limp off after 34 minutes of the new season. After being handed a new contract in the summer, as well as being repeatedly praised for his natural qualities and bright future by a myriad of figures at the club, including Ivan Gazidis and Unai Emery, the Arsenal prospect saw the most exciting season of his career dashed before it ever begun.
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Maitland-Niles was playing at left back, subbing in for the absent Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac, with Emery trusting him over an out-of-position Stephan Lichtsteiner. It didn’t take long for him not to be playing at all.
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He hasn’t been fit ever since, suffering a small fracture to his left fibula. In his absence, he has seen his standing in the squad depreciate: Matteo Guendouzi has replaced him as the resident gifted midfielder, both Kolasinac and Monreal have returned at left back, and Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka have entrenched themselves as the starting double-pivot pair in Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system.
However, according to the latest injury update from the club, Maitland-Niles is expected to return to full training in the second week of this international break, just prior to the weekend’s match against Leicester City in the Premier League — it would be a surprise if he was available for the trip to King Power Stadium, although he could be in line to feature in the Europa League match against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday, October 25th.
Unfortunately for Maitland-Niles, he has some unfinished business and undeserved work to complete when he returns. He has very quickly been forgotten in Arsenal circles. That’s what happens when the team wins. Those that aren’t involved slide into the shadows, quite literally for Maitland-Niles and his time in the physio room.
It could take some time for Maitland-Niles to re-establish his role in the squad. He was far from guaranteed a starting position before missing the first two months of the season. He only started the season because of injuries to other players, and he wasn’t even playing in his best position anyway. In the insatiable competition to earn stripes, Maitland-Niles is hauling on a plain t-shirt. He has a whole lot of ground to make up.
The most frustrating aspect is that none of this is his fault. He cannot help breaking his leg. He didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t play his way out of Emery’s favour. He simply got injured. It happens to everyone. But for some, it comes at a time where it does not completely derail a season or even a career. For others, it does.
That’s not to say that Maitland-Niles’ career or season is now ruined. But it does put him a severe disadvantage in comparison to those he is competing against for game time. It’s not fatal. Far from it. But Maitland-Niles has some unfinished business and some undeserved work to complete.