Ian Wright has been singing the praises of Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny after his performance against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
The Egypt international produced yet another assured performance in the middle of the pitch for the Gunners, shielding his defence excellently and distributing possession brilliantly.
This came on the back of an exceptional display in the 4-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in midweek.
Prior to this week, Elneny hadn’t kicked a ball in the Premier League for Arsenal since January.
Despite being inactive, there was no sign of rust from the former Basel midfielder, who is out of contract in North London this summer.
And Wright has admitted that although the 29-year-old might well wind up leaving the Emirates Stadium, these two ‘magnificent’ performances were testament to his character.
He told Match of the Day: “He may leave, but he came in when you haven’t been in for that long and put in two performances like that, two of the toughest games to be in. And he’s been magnificent.”
Elneny has often been scapegoated by Arsenal supporters for being inadequate, but what a team player he is.
One of the tragedies about this summer is the fact that Mikel Arteta could well lose him on a free transfer, with these two displays being a huge reminder of his ability.
However, Thomas Partey is a thousand miles ahead of him in the pecking order and Elneny will be back on the bench next season, if he does stay which seems unlikely.
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