It has been a case of close but no cigar for Arsenal again this season, with the North London side impressing through prolonged periods of the campaign but lacking the consistency of other top teams.
Arsene Wenger’s men will have ambitions of putting forward a title challenge next season, with a number of new faces expected to strengthen the Gunners ahead of 2015-16.
Despite any transfer business the Emirates Stadium outfit may do, Arsenal are ready to welcome back a player that could be as good as a new signing. Serge Gnabry has become something of a forgotten man at the club, with the young German attacker not featuring for the first team this season due to serious injury.
After breaking through into the senior side last season, the 20-year-old was being touted as a player with the attributes to become a first-team regular with Wenger’s team.
Lightning fast with good vision and an eye for goal, Gnabry was, and arguably remains, the most promising young player at Arsenal’s disposal not to currently be in the starting XI reckoning.
A knee injury has seen the Germany under-21 star spend the last 12 months on the road to recovery, with painstaking rehabilitation and patience needed to see Gnabry back to his previous self.
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The early signs are that the prodigious talent is ready for the first-team reckoning once more, with Gnabry scoring once and creating two assists for the Gunners’ under-21 side recently against Wolves.
Although the road to regular football in the Arsenal side is difficult, the signs are there that the German can become an important player for the North London club.
The likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil make for tough competition for a starting role, but there is no reason why Gnabry cannot be an impact substitute initially and integrate himself into a squad rotation system.
In the longer term, once the young star gets more first-team football under his belt there is no doubting that he could be a real star for his club. This summer is a critical period for Gnabry, who will look to regain his match fitness and get sharp again with a proper and full pre-season.
He will surely be used by Wenger during friendly fixtures and be brought back into the squad for games ahead of the new campaign.
Gnabry will also have the chance to represent his nation at the under-21 European Championships, with Germany one of eight countries to feature at the tournament in the Czech Republic.
With Theo Walcott’s future at Arsenal under the spotlight and uncertain at best, should the Gunners lose the England international or consider cutting their losses on him, the young German would be a readymade replacement.
Arsenal fans were excited by Gnabry’s emergence last season but the signs are there that the best is still well and truly to come for this star.
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