Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles the early player of the season

Arsenal should be hurting much more than they are without Hector Bellerin, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles is making it a breezy walk in the park.

You could be forgiven for fearing that Ainsley Maitland-Niles was going to go the same way as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both started as wingers for Arsenal with aspirations of playing in the central midfield, but ended up as wingbacks. The Ox jumped ship, but Maitland-Niles has become an integral member of that ship’s crew.

Now a full-blown fullback with aspirations of keeping the position even when Bellerin returns, Maitland-Niles is walking the walk. We saw just how good he could be in a fullback capacity last year and he’s picking up right where he left off this year.

Maitland-Niles is one of four outfield payers who have played every single minute thus far, and if Nacho Monreal is sold to La Liga, those ranks will thin.

In that time, Maitland-Niles has asserted himself as one of the most important players on the team. And the numbers back him up.

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Nobody wins the ball back more than Maitland-Niles. With 2.7 tackles per 90 and 1.7 interceptions, he’s proudly sitting at 4.4 ball recoveries per match, with Matteo Guendouzi ranking in second place with 4.3.

But there’s more to it than that. Maitland-Niles is the only player not named Dani Ceballos to tally an assist this year, and it was a beautiful assist at that, curling in a perfect ball for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Newcastle to secure the win.

And other than Nicolas Pepe and his ridiculous seven dribbles completed against Liverpool, no one completes more dribbles per 90 than Maitland-Niles. Ceballos and Willock both complete as many, but they are also guilty of losing possession more than Maitland-Niles as well.

Granted, it’s still early in the year, but as of right now, our player of the season is Maitland-Niles. Now, there will be dips and turns and unexpected changes, but getting the season started on the right foot is a crucial step for anyone, and the fact that Maitland-Niles continues to do it, despite being perpetually played out of position, is a testament to how special this young man is.

It’s gotten to the point that any list of “top Premier League fullbacks” that doesn’t incorporate Ainsley Maitland-Niles comes off as woefully uninformed. He is growing into one of the best despite how new the position still is to him and that only means good things in the years to come.