Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles potential positionally unbounded

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is beginning to show signs of his potential in recent weeks. Perhaps the most exciting element, though, is that the Arsenal youngster’s development is unbounded by position.

Over the past 135 minutes of action, Ainsley Maitland-Niles might have truly shown what he is capable of.

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After a rough first half against Manchester United, the 21-year-old recovered remarkably in the second period, shackling Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba with some ferocious tackling and wonderfully focused defending. Four days later, in the 3-0 victory over Rennes, he was again showcasing his defensive improvements, alongside scoring a goal and playing a key part in the opening strike. The Arsenal man was beginning to illustrate what he is truly capable of.

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That, in essence, is his potential, his ceiling, the highest possible standard that he can reach is playing as he has for the past 135 minutes every single time he takes to the pitch. Whether he ever actually reaches that level and realises his potential, however, is a very different question. He is capable. But is that really a realistic aim for his career? How many players actually attain their highest-possible standard? Not many.

I have often claimed that Maitland-Niles’ versatility, while a terrific asset that few young players can boast to possession, will stent his elite development and eventually hold him back from ever fully achieving his talent. I still stand by that statement. If he is going to play as he did against Rennes and Man. Utd, he will need to specialise in a certain position, that much is certain.

But that is perhaps an unrealistic expectation to set. Perhaps it would be more sensible to describe Maitland-Niles as someone who is able to achieve versatility rather than mastery. If he has a 5% chance of fulfilling his potential, then would it not make more sense to focus on the skills required to reach a standard that he has an 80% chance of reaching?

What I am saying is that Maitland-Niles may never reach his ultimate level, but actually, that is quite alright because a versatile, rotational squad player is still an extremely valuable piece to an elite squad. Danny Welbeck never became the world-class centre-forward that was expected of him when he broke into the Man. Utd team at 18, but he has still be a thoroughly useful player to both United and Arsenal as a versatile attacker.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Maitland-Niles realistic potential of being a versatile reserve is his actual potential, even if it is not the greatest level that his talent suggests he could reach. You may call this a little conservative, not chasing the heights of true greatness, but sometimes a little pragmatism is precisely what is required in the often overindulgent world of modern football.

Maitland-Niles is a wonderful talent and I am looking forward to seeing how he develops. But his best skill set, his versatility, needs to be protected, even if it comes at the expense at reaching the highest standard he could possibly reach.