As Arsenal attempt to deal with the loss of Thomas Partey, manager Mikel Arteta will be grateful Albert Sambi Lokonga has developed ahead of schedule.
The Belgian came on as a substitute in the Gunners' last league game with Partey unable to continue. And now, with the Ghanaian ruled out for a number of weeks - if not the rest of the season entirely - it looks like being up to Lokonga to keep the club's top-four quest alive.
Arteta has previously explained he didn't expect the former Anderlecht youngster to be fully acclimatised to Premier League football in his first season. However, with the 22-year-old likely to be thrown into the starting line-up once more, the coming weeks will be a real test of his progress.
