It's been a hugely frustrating start to the season for Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny. The Egypt international picked up a hamstring injury in his first appearance of the season against Fulham in August, and he is now well into a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Mikel Arteta has described Elneny's injury as 'long-term', and he isn't likely to return to action until next year. It's been a huge blow for the 30-year-old and for Arsenal, with the Gunners light in the midfield department in his absence.
Unable to join in training or play in matches, the injury means that Elneny has had to invest his time into something else. The midfielder has been working through his UEFA coaching badges and confirmed on his Instagram that he has now completed his B license.
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Earlier this year, Elneny's father backed his son to coach Arsenal in the future, saying: "The Arsenal players love Elneny, he is loved among his colleagues in the dressing room, and the club's management loves him, so I think he will coach Arsenal in the future."
The midfielder is certainly making strides towards a career in coaching, with the UEFA A licence the next thing on his tick list. It appears that Mikel Arteta is inspiring the next generation of coaches at the Gunners, with Granit Xhaka and Cedric also in the process of completing their badges. The recent Hale End documentary showed Xhaka, Cedric and Elneny working with the Arsenal-under 16s.
Arteta made his way through his coaching badges while he was still playing at Arsenal - and now at least three of his players are following in his footsteps. Who knows, when the day comes, maybe one of them could eventually be Arteta's replacement.
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