Mikel Arteta told the media earlier today that he thinks Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ‘evolving’ under his guidance as Arsenal manager.
As quoted by Football London, the Spaniard said: ‘Ainsley, I think he had a good game. I think he’s evolving really good. I think he’s made in this year a big, big progress and he’s in a much better place than a year ago. He need to keep doing what he’s doing.’
While Arteta doesn’t directly take credit for the £35,000-a-week man’s evolution, he does mention that Maitland-Niles has come on leaps and bounds ‘in this year’.
Funnily enough, we are only two days away from the one-year anniversary of the 38-year-old appointment at the Emirates Stadium – he was appointed on December 20th 2019.
In that respect, Arteta is stating that Maitland-Niles has improved while he’s been at the club. He’s not wrong either.
The Gunners academy graduate is looking better and better with each passing game, impressing enough to earn three Premier League starts and five Europa League starts this season.
At 23 years of age, he is arguably the future of Arsenal’s right-back spot.
Failing that, Maitland-Niles has evolved enough to also be considered an option in Arteta’s midfield.
WhoScored shows that the versatile prospect has made five appearances in a defensive-midfield position this term.
The Arsenal No.15 is just another gem to come out of Hale End. Arteta has been blessed with a fantastic generation of prospects emerging from the academy.
Along with Maitland-Niles, the Spaniard has the likes of Folarin Balogun, Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah to help him out, all of whom have shown huge promise.
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