Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have a ‘huge talent’ on their hands who is ‘so intelligent’

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Arsenal made it ten games unbeaten with a 1-0 win against Watford today and manager, Mikel Arteta, was quick to praise the impact of Ainsley Maitland-Niles following the game.

Maitland-Niles was given his chance thanks to Thomas Partey picking up an injury. The England midfielder did well, and Alan Smith gave him the man of the match award on Sky.

After nearly leaving in the summer, Mikel Arteta will be delighted to see Maitland-Niles contributing to the Arsenal cause. And following the game today, Arteta told his post-match presser that he was impressed with his midfielder.

“First of all, I see a different player in terms of his urgency, his commitment, the clarity in his play, his purpose. Since we made the decision, it was clear what I was seeing that I wanted him to stay, because he was going to be useful,” Arteta said.

“He has a huge talent because he’s versatile enough to adapt to almost any position on the pitch. Today we made use of him to do what he had to do in the game, which was really important.”

Versatile

Maitland-Niles has been known for his ability to play in different positions for some time now. He did well at West Brom on loan in midfield, but Arsenal know he can slot in across the pitch.

And continuing his praise, Arteta said that Maitland-Niles’ intelligence helps him do so well.

“When I see him in training sessions, when I see how he prepares, when I see the questions he’s asking, his level of attention. Everything you talk through, his response is immediate.

“He’s a really clever boy, really clever, really intelligent. I think he needs to able to transmit that, and how much he cares, with his body language and his determination. He’s come a long way,” the Spaniard added.

TBR’s View: Maitland-Niles delivers for Arsenal

And he did so just when his team needed him to do so. It was a good performance from the England man and a good indicator of what he can bring to this team.

Arteta is clearly delighted. And rightly so. More of this from Maitland-Niles, and the likes of Lokonga and Partey might be looking over their shoulders.