Arsenal full-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles has fallen way down the pecking order under manager Mikel Arteta in recent months.
Having started the Gunners boss’s first five league games in charge, the 22-year-old has only played a few minutes since January, and supporters on Twitter have been speculating whether the London club will consider selling him at the end of the season:
He’s a waste and should leave
— ceejay agbo (@iamscaz) April 23, 2020
Arteta seems to have a real problem with players who supposedly have attitudes. To be fair Emery gave him a few chances in midfield and unfortunately didn’t take his chances. £25m is about right.
— FLGooner (@FloridaGooner12) April 23, 2020
He'd be decent for a midtable side tbh.
— MARTINELLI STAN ACCOUNT ? (@Alexdish22) April 23, 2020
20mil is a fair price for him,but arsenal will accept 10mil as usual
— 木子木又 (@MrJyD90) April 24, 2020
Good squad player but that’s it , must admit looked good in the inverted RB role when Arteta first came in
— Yash (@Yashman67) April 24, 2020
If Arteta doesn't think he's good or committed enough that's fine by me.
— Shaughs ?⚪️ (@shaughsAFC) April 24, 2020
He won’t be missed , done ok at rb covering but for the money we’d get for him , he can be replaced
— Arran (@ArranAFCSTL) April 24, 2020
Realistically speaking 20-30 million
— ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ (@VeerKantelia1) April 23, 2020
Had his opportunities for me. Time to say goodbye.
— jim gilbert (@jim_jbgil) April 23, 2020
Hard work defines a footballer. Such a talented guy but if he isn’t willing to work for his place than he has to go
— 7 (@413X1S7) April 24, 2020
Maitland-Niles’s career at the Emirates has certainly stalled. He has fallen behind both Hector Bellerin and Sokratis for starts at right-back, while the arrival of Cedric Soares on loan in January also showed that Arteta doesn’t trust him to play in that role.
His preferred position is in central midfield, but with Arsenal having a wealth of options in the middle of the park, it’s hard to see where he will get game time, other than in cup competitions.
A loan spell away from the Gunners could be a possibility, but with Maitland-Niles just a few months away from his 23rd birthday, time is running out in terms of his development.