Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he was pleased with Mohamed Elneny’s debut for the club, but insisted that there is room for improvement.
The Egyptian made his first appearance for the Gunners in the 2-1 win over Burnley in the FA Cup fourth round clash at the Emirates on Saturday, and largely impressed.
However, after his £7m move from Basel earlier this month, much more is expected of him as although he showed an ability to push forward and pose a goalscoring threat, he also lost battles in midfield which raised questions about his physicality.
“I felt he started a bit cautious, played a bit secure, then became more adventurous and had some good shots on goal,” Wenger said after the game, as reported by ESPN FC. “His mobility, his work rate was exceptional. For the rest, he needs to adjust to the power of the game in the Premier League.
“This was a good welcome today. Certainly he has learned a lot today. It will take him some time to adjust to the power side of our game here, but the intentions, the mobility and the technical level are good.”
Meanwhile, Wenger was also boosted by the return from injury of Francis Coquelin and Alexis Sanchez, with the Chilean international impressing in particular.
After providing an assist and the game-winning goal, Sanchez will hope to build on his display with his manager insisting that perhaps his injury layoff was a perfect way of gaining some rest after struggling with issues since his return from the Copa America at the start of the campaign.
Wenger isn’t expected to do any further business in the transfer market ahead of Monday’s deadline, but he will certainly be pleased with the number of players returning from injury which will hand him a significant boost in the coming months.
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