If you told Arsenal fans a year ago that they would care whether or not Mohamed Elneny came back from international duty uninjured, they probably wouldn’t have believed you.
That’s because the former Basel midfielder seemingly had one foot out the door in North London, after Unai Emery loaned him to Besiktas in Turkey.
Fans of every club are always a bit anxious when their players report for international duty because, well, Murphy’s Law often surfaces.
But the fact that quite a lot of Arsenal fans would’ve been desperate to see Elneny return to London Colney in one piece is testament to his resurgence under Mikel Arteta.
The Egypt international, a £7 million signing in 2016, has been the Gunners’ surprise package of the season, producing some quality performance from the start – including in the 1-0 win away to Manchester United in the Premier League.
Never before in an Arsenal shirt has his stock been this high among fans of the Emirates Stadium.
And here’s how some of them responded to Elneny’s post on Twitter:
Arsenal are away to Leeds United next weekend and Arteta will need Elneny – who played 90 minutes in an Africa Cup of Nations win over Togo on Saturday – back for that.
There’s a bit of doubt over whether Thomas Partey will be available, having picked up an injury in the defeat by Aston Villa just before the international break, and if the Ghana powerhouse is absent then Granit Xhaka is certainly going to want Elneny beside him in midfield at Elland Road.
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