As Arsenal attempt to deal with the loss of Thomas Partey, manager Mikel Arteta will be grateful Albert Sambi Lokonga has developed ahead of schedule.
The Belgian came on as a substitute in the Gunners' last league game with Partey unable to continue. And now, with the Ghanaian ruled out for a number of weeks - if not the rest of the season entirely - it looks like being up to Lokonga to keep the club's top-four quest alive.
Arteta has previously explained he didn't expect the former Anderlecht youngster to be fully acclimatised to Premier League football in his first season. However, with the 22-year-old likely to be thrown into the starting line-up once more, the coming weeks will be a real test of his progress.
Arteta told the media the upcoming games would provide fringe players like Lokonga and Nuno Tavares with "a great opportunity to show what they can do". Tavares deputised for the injured Kieran Tierney against Crystal Palace, though he was withdrawn with the Gunners chasing the game.
When asked about Lokonga specifically, the manager said "He played quite a lot in the first part of the season but when you have no European football it’s more difficult to share the minutes." However, Arteta's response after the Belgian's last league start in January suggests he has already been improving quicker than anticipated.
“I think he had a really good game the other day against Liverpool [in the Carabao Cup semi-final]," Arteta said in January. "His understanding of the game, he is managing the physicality much better, he is maturing.
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“It’s a lot to ask. When we signed him, the expectation that we had for him in the first year was to start adapting. But he has had to play many more minutes than we expected and the kid is trying his best, and I think he’s doing pretty well.”
The comments point to the understanding between player and manager, with Lokonga previously detailing his conversations with the Gunners boss. "When I first spoke to Mikel Arteta, I immediately saw that he had understood my game, who I was and who I could potentially become," he told Sport Foot magazine in the autumn.
"That's when I told myself that things were going to stick between Arsenal and me. Don't worry, he also told me about my flaws."
While Lokonga hasn't started an Arsenal game since January, he enjoyed an extended run in the team earlier in the season when Granit Xhaka was sidelined through injury. The midfielder has made 20 appearances for the London club, 15 of them coming in the Premier League.
He also played the full 180 minutes of the Carabao Cup semi as Arsenal gave a solid account of themselves against eventual winners Liverpool, catching his manager's eye in the process. However, the biggest test is yet to come, with sustained pressure as the Gunners look to make sure the first three quarters of their season don't go to waste.
