Arsene Wenger says Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny could be deployed as a centre-back after admitting he has been impressed by his performances in the position against Bayern Munich and Chelsea. With Shkodran Mustafi still to return from Confederations Cup duty with Germany and Gabriel out injured, Elneny has been a makeshift centre-back, a move Wenger intends to make permanent. Since there are over 600 staff to be paid, he can’t afford to buy another centre-back.
Overall, I played players like [Mohamed] Elneny in a back three and he has coped very well,’ Wenger said ahead of the Emirates Cup this weekend. ‘[Ainsley] Maitland-Niles sometimes played at centre back as well, even in the big games against Chelsea.
‘You see their strengths and their weaknesses, and you learn a lot about your players and your combinations too.
‘The advantage we have is that we have a good stability in our squad, so I already know who I can combine with who, more or less.
‘Elneny is a player who has a fantastic mentality and attitude, and his main target is to help the team. When he plays there, of course he does extremely well.
‘I always felt that a good central midfielder can be a good centre back. With the fact of course that when you’re playing in the back four you have to be decisive in the challenges, you have a bit more flexibility in the middle of a back three. He can do that.’
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via GET Sportonline
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