Mohamed Elneny is continuing to prepare for life beyond his playing career by coaching Arsenal's U16 academy side. The Egyptian has been out for a lengthy period of time and isn't expected to return for a while longer at least, but he has been productive during his time on the sidelines, with images surfacing across social media this week showing him in action as a coach.
His injury has come as a huge blow for the 30-year-old and for Arsenal, with the Gunners midfield depth light in his absence. As he's been unable to train with the first-team, the injury means that Elneny has had to invest his time elsewhere. The midfielder has been working through his UEFA coaching badges and confirmed on his Instagram that he has now completed his B license.
The UEFA A license is next on his bucket list, with Granit Xhaka and Cedric Soares also in the process of completing their badges.
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It at least appears as though Arteta is moulding the next generation of coaches at London Colney. Jack Wilshere is already the coach of the U18s side and considering the club is fond of employing former players - with Per Mertesacker heading the academy and Edu being it's technical director - you'd have to expect they would at least consider Elneny for a role in the future.
Elneny's father has also backed his son to coach at the club when his playing career comes to an end, saying: "The Arsenal players love Elneny, he is loved among his colleagues in the dressing room, and the club's management loves him, so I think he will coach Arsenal in the future."
Whether he does end up coaching the academy team's permanently remains to be seen, but it's looking as though he has all the capabilities of following in Arteta and Co.'s footsteps.
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