From being deemed surplus to requirements last summer and being sent out on loan to Besiktas, to starring in Arsenal's win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. What an incredible journey it has been for Mohamed Elneny.

The Egypt international returned in the summer after a year away in Turkey with some food for thought. Mikel Arteta of course was the new man in charge at the Emirates, and it remained to be seen whether he would be given a look-in under the new regime.

But the Spaniard made it clear, that having played with him whilst he himself was an Arsenal player, he knew of his qualities and what he could bring.

And on Sunday night at Old Trafford, Elneny showed everyone exactly what Arteta was talking about. The former Basel man helped run the midfield alongside summer signing Thomas Partey, and whilst the Ghana international may take some of the headlines, Arsenal fans shouldn't be quick to forget about the shift the 28-year-old put in.

As per Sofascore, his total of 72 touches was only behind that of Partey, whilst he boasted an impressive 89% pass accuracy. But more than his eye-opening calmness on the ball - there were countless times in the game where he kept his composure to find teammates in the half-spaces - it was his work off it that really stood out.

Elneny covered a lot of ground, and with United operating with a midfield diamond, had to do just that more than usual to ensure Arsenal didn't get overrun in the engine room.

His tally of three interceptions was more than that of Partey, and was only just behind Bukayo Saka (4) in the Gunners' rankings. Moving forward, Arteta will have a big call to make on the man hailed as being "excellent" by The Times journalist Henry Winter.

He left out both Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos for the contest at Old Trafford, and the duo will be looking to push for a recall. But on this evidence, Elneny deserves his moment in the spotlight.