Mikel Arteta explains how forgotten man forced his way back into Arsenal fold

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed how Mohamed Elneny managed to force his way back into the Arsenal first team.

Elneny spent last season on loan at Besiktas, having fallen down the pecking order at the Gunners.

The Egypt international has struggled to nail down a regular starting place since joining in 2015 under Arsene Wenger.

But things finally appear to be on the up for Elneny, with Arteta clearly showing a lot of faith in the 26-year-old.

The Gunners boss says that he needed a pep talk to find some self belief - but now he’s ready to go.

“Well I really like Mo and what he bring to the squad in terms of his personality as well,” Arteta told the club’s website.

“And then at a football level, I think he needed a little bit of belief.

“He had some doubts whether we could trust him or not. I had a lot of conversations with him.

“He fully deserves his chance. He trains every day with the best spirit, he wants to learn, and he’s performing really well.”

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New signings Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes both hit the ground running against Fulham but Mikel Arteta is still on the lookout for new signings.

Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar and Brentford keeper David Raya are two of the names on their radar.

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With Elneny now back in the fold, Arteta admits that competition for places is as ripe as ever in his squad.

And the Spaniard urged his players to use that as motivation to put in the best performances possible.

“My job is to get everybody at his highest level and doing their best,” said the Arsenal manager.

“We have some other examples with Mo and Rob [Holding], Ainsley [Maitland-Niles] as well, they are at their best at the moment and that’s going to make it difficult for the rest.

“They have to step up and fight for their places. When they are playing, perform, and when they are not, support their teammates.”