Arsene Wenger has confirmed he is considering handing new signing Mohamed Elneny his Arsenal debut against Burnley in the FA Cup tomorrow.
Wenger signed the Egyptian battler from Swiss side, FC Basel a fortnight ago, to shore up his depleted midfield, having lost both central pair Carzola and Coquelin to long term injuries.
The 23-year-old midfielder spent three years with the Swiss club, making over 90 league appearances and winning three consecutive Super League titles and he had featured 28 times for them in all competitions in the first half of this season, scoring six goals. However, he is yet to make his bow for the Gunners, although he was on the bench in both of their last two games but never came off the bench.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of his team’s FA fourth round clash with Championship side Burnley, tomorrow, Wenger admits he is considering giving the Egyptian his first outing.
“It is possibility,” Wenger admitted, when asked if Elneny would feature. The Arsenal manager also spoke highly about the midfielder, describing him as a “box-to-box player” who can also play in defensive roles.
“He is a box-to-box player who is a bit more defensive minded than your usual box-to-box player so he can play in both positions. He has good technique, good vision, quick decision-making and he is very mobile and agile.”
Wenger also gave updates on teams for the Burnley game, amazing there’s some news that might cheer up the Gunners fans, the return of Francis Coquelin ahead his scheduled time to return from a knee injury. Everybody is available apart from Jack Wilshire and Santi Carzola , said the Arsenal manager.
