Arsenal: Time to trust Ainsley Maitland-Niles once again

Arsenal trusted Ainsley Maitland-Niles at the start of the season, but injuries got in the way. Now it’s time that he is trusted again.

So much of what made Unai Emery such an appealing managerial choice was the way he seemed to understand each of the Arsenal players before he was even made manager. Specifically, the point was made that in the interview process, he had entire dossiers on how to get the most out of the players that were here.

And Ainsley Maitland-Niles was seen as the No. 1 piece of this, being a player with so much talent and so little direction.

This was given an added impetus when he was out there, starting in week one against Manchester City. Sure, he was at leftback, and sure, it was in a state of minor desperation, but he was still trusted to the role and he played it well.

For half an hour, at least, until he fractured his foot and was out for two months.

On returning, the spot was no longer so readily available to him, nor was any spot, for that matter. Kolasinac had made easy work of winning the left wingback role and Hector Bellerin was never going to be unseated in the first place. The midfield was so clearly off limits with how much talent was already camped there.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

But, just seeing how he played against Brighton when he came on, it was inspiring enough for me to believe that it’s time to trust him again. The game changed with the entrance of two capable wingbacks and even though it didn’t pay proper dividends, it did show how much more effective the team is with two driving forces on either side of the formation.

Maitland-Niles did, however, look quite rusty, and that’s the part where the trust comes into it. He needs to be given the space and time to get back into his best form because he is such a valuable resource that isn’t being used to his full potential. And no one is really at fault there, it just hasn’t been an easy run for his health.

There is no hiding how deadly he can be if he only undergoes a little bit of fine-tuning in order to properly accentuate his better qualities.

And that only comes with shaking off the rust. Even if that means doing so against bigger teams. I’d much rather him at wingback than Lichtsteiner at fullback, I think we can all agree on that.