Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has had his say on the difference between playing under Mikel Arteta and former boss Unai Emery.
The Egyptian was expected by almost everyone to move on last summer. He spent a season in Besiktas and was really good there. However, everyone felt Arsenal would cash in on him when he returned.
Arteta surprised everyone. He reintegrated Elneny back into the squad and the former Basel man has played a fairly big part for us this season.
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Elneny is absolutely delighted with how Arteta has treated him since the start of the season. He heaped praise on how fair his current manager is – something that his former boss Emery wasn’t when he was still at the helm.
Elneny: Arteta is fair, Emery wasn’t
He told Sky Sports: “If you are good, you will play. If you’re not good, you’ll be on the bench or out of the squad. This one, I love from Mikel because it’s fair. If you train good and you train hard and you’re ready to play, he’ll give you a chance to play.
“This one, I missed before with Emery. Emery was not giving me a chance to play. That’s why I got a chance to go to Turkey and prove myself. I’ve come back and I’m happy about myself now.”
The Insider’s View:
Elneny was pushed out of Arsenal by Emery. The former Arsenal boss publicly claimed that he wanted the Egyptian gone (Goal) – something that didn’t quite sit well with many people associated with the club.
The Egyptian left on loan, came back and is an important member of the squad now. He is definitely not Arteta’s go-to guy in midfield, but whenever he’s called upon, Elneny comes in and does a job for his boss.
Arsenal take on Emery’s Villarreal in less than a week’s time. Elneny is unlikely to start that game, but if he is given a chance to play any part, he would love nothing more than to inflict some pain on his former manager.
