Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles lauds Arsene Wenger after he handed him a start in the EFL Cup win against Reading

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There is no shortage of talented graduates to make their name under the Frenchman, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be about to join the illustrious list.

Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles has praised Arsene Wenger for his continuing support after a testing loan spell at Ipswich last season, according to the club’s official website.

The England Under-20 international featured in 30 Championship games under Mick McCarthy last season as The Tractor Boys finished just outside the play-off positions, and his experience of first-team football appears to have stood him in good stead as he impressed from the start in Arsenal’s 2-0 EFL Cup win against Reading on Tuesday.

Wenger reserved praise for Maitland-Niles as well as fellow starlets Rob Holding and Jeff Reine-Adelaide (below) at full-time, and the 19-year-old admits that the Frenchman’s admiration has provided him with the self-belief that he can step up when required.

“[Receiving Wenger’s support] just gives you a lot of confidence and you just need to take it into the games and keep speaking to him and seeing where you need to improve on,” the versatile midfielder told the club’s official website. “So that’s what I try to do.

“It was difficult [at Ipswich] but at the same time it gave me a lot of experience and showed me how different men’s football is from playing with a bunch of kids.

“But it’s like when you come back from those sort of experiences, you learn a lot and you’ve just got to take it into the season ahead of you.”

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (below) marked a rare start with two well-taken goals against Jaap Stam’s visitors, and Arsenal’s number 55 can only benefit from sharing a pitch alongside experienced internationals.

Meanwhile, with Kieron Gibbs and Alex Iwobi also making their mark on Tuesday night, Maitland-Niles has no shortage of role-models in The Gunners first-team. After all, if there is a club who are likely to give an opportunity to a young, homegrown talent, its Arsenal.