Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles must take Lucas Torreira chance

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has fallen out of the picture at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. But with Lucas Torreira now set for an extended spell on the sidelines, if the young Englishman gets a chance to prove himself, he must take it.

It has been a frustrating recent period for Ainsley Maitland-Niles. After flourishing at right-back in Hector Bellerin’s absence when Mikel Arteta first took over as Arsenal’s new head coach, the natural midfielder has since been relegated to the bench at best upon the Spaniard’s return. With competition for places plentiful in midfield, he has struggled for opportunities, playing just two of the last 540 minutes.

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In reality, Maitland-Niles has not proven that he is worthy of any more than the minutes he has received. While his performances at right-back were excellent, if he is unwilling to play there, which is reasonable to assume given his past public protestations that he is a midfielder or winger and not a full-back, it is difficult to see a way into the team.

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In midfield, Granit Xhaka has looked revitalised, Dani Ceballos has returned to fitness, while Matteo Guendouzi offers a much higher ceiling as the raw, untamed young talent of the group. But if there was a glimmer of hope for Maitland-Niles to cling onto, the recent injury to Lucas Torreira is something.

Of course, no one would wish injury on Torreira, including Maitland-Niles, and any teammate who celebrates the misery of others is not a positive character in the dressing room, but Maitland-Niles’ improved chance of earning some rare playing time is an unavoidable consequence of Torreira’s now extended absence.

After Maitland-Niles played just one minute of Arsenal’s victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup, a game that Arteta rotated heavily for and used centre-back Sokratis at right-back instead of Maitland-Niles, the Arsenal manager made it quite clear what the mixed-up midfielder must do to earn a more prominent role in the squad:

"“Ainsley needs to put his head down and work hard and show me every day in training that he wants it more than anyone else, he wants to play for this club and fight for his place.”"

Arteta has said repeatedly that he will reward those who train well and punish those who do not. He has also proven to be a man of integrity, making several major selection calls based on this principle. Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka and Dani Ceballos have all benefitted from Arteta’s focus on their performance and attitude in training, while Guendouzi, Nicolas Pepe and Maitland-Niles himself have not.

The success of his teammates should provide hope for Maitland-Niles. If he can show a more willing and committed attitude in training, allied with improved performance, he can earn a role in the team once again. And he might just be the only player in the squad that has the natural skill set to replicate the defensive midfield impact of Torreira.

While there are more capable midfielders than Maitland-Niles in the squad, none have the athleticism, quickness, stamina, high-energy approach and defensive instincts of the 22-year-old to replicate the all-action holding role that Torreira so brilliantly performs. And so, if Arteta is looking for this type of midfield player during the remainder of this season, it might just be Maitland-Niles that he turns to.

If Maitland-Niles does get a first-team opportunity in Torreira’s stead, he cannot afford to waste it. His Arsenal career is tetering in the balance and chances to impress are waning. Maitland-Niles needs to prove he can succeed under Arteta, and Torreira’s absence might be the last opportunity he gets.