Arsene Wenger had such high hopes for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but the England international looks on course to fall some way short of the former Arsenal manager's prediction.
It was Wenger who handed Maitland-Niles his Gunners debut when he was just 17 back in 2014 and many of the Arsenal fans in attendance that night would have expected him to kick on and become a regular for club and country in the years to come.
It would be fair to say Wenger certainly did, with the former Gunners boss heaping praise on Maitland-Niles for his ability to be star in so many different positions. Speaking to Arsenal.com in 2017, the Frenchman said: "I believe he is the future. He can play left back, right back, central midfield. Of the three positions, maybe the least natural for him is left back, but he adapts very quickly and is a good defender.
