Ainsley Maitland-Niles has told Arsenal’s Instagram story that he thinks he is the ‘quickest’ player at the club.
The versatile defender did admit that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who Arsenal fans would perhaps consider to be the quickest, would ‘dispute’ his comments.
Maitland-Niles is known for his calmness, versatility and athleticism when out on the pitch, but he hasn’t been able to showcase that in recent weeks given his lack of game time in the Premier League.
But even with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Aubameyang on the books, Maitland-Niles thinks he’s the man when it comes to the speed department.
“Is anyone in the squad faster than me? No,” said Maitland-Niles. “I put myself at the top if I am honest.
“I could be wrong. Maybe Aubameyang would dispute about that. I personally think that I am the quickest in the team.”
Given Arsenal’s dour run of form, especially in the Premier League, the fans would love to see somebody like Maitland-Niles given more of a chance.
Hector Bellerin isn’t exactly pulling up trees at right-back and someone like Maitland-Niles could do the job the Arsenal fans want to see.
The Arsenal academy product could even do a job in the middle of the park, and given that Arsenal are missing Thomas Partey’s aggression and defensive qualities, Maitland-Niles could bring that to the table also.
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