Mikel Arteta has sent a message of support to Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles ahead of the Gunners' clash against Southampton this weekend.
Maitland-Niles will be ineligible to face his parent club at St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday afternoon due to his loan agreement but the 25-year-old has been limited to just 246 minutes of game time for the Saints so far this season. The versatile midfielder fell down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium following Arteta's arrival, resulting in Maitland-Niles heading out on loan spells with West Brom and Roma.
The Gunners vice-captain Granit Xhaka has shown that it is possible to become a key player under Arteta when a player's future at the club had previously appeared to be in doubt, which may be something Maitland-Niles looks to learn from. The Arsenal boss is keen for the 25-year-old to become a regular starter for Ralph Hassenhuttl's side before his future in north London can be discussed, however.
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Speaking ahead of the Gunners' Premier League clash against the Saints, Arteta discussed Maitland-Niles' future and admitted if he focuses on his game while at Southampton, then he could have a future at the Emirates Stadium. "Obviously he [Maitland-Niles] won’t be able to play against us and he hasn’t played that much," the Spaniard said.
"Hopefully he can get the minutes, he can pick up some momentum as well because we need him to play the games. The future he has right now is his present, the most important thing for him to get his place and start to perform at the level that he can.
"That’s something now for his manager to answer because he’s not with us. He needs to focus in the present which is the most important thing for his future."
There are a number of players out on loan that are looking to impress and secure their future with Arsenal as Arteta's side continue to fight at the top of the Premier League table ahead of the World Cup.
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