Many observers expected Arsene Wenger to wave something of a white flag on his final visit to Old Trafford.

With the Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico looming large and the Gunners' inability to make the most of having a man advantage for the majority of the first match at the Emirates means they have to score at least once in Madrid to keep their dream of giving Arsene Wenger a winning send-off by clinching the trophy and a spot in next season's Champions League alive.

That 1-1 home draw, and Antoine Griezmann's smash and grab away goal, left Arsenal with an unenviable task, so many big hitter such as Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette were rested for the trip to face Manchester United.

That might have led to bookmakers like 888sport to expect a thrashing but, in actual fact, the situation presented a window of opportunity to some younger players and the battling performance in the unfortunate eventual 2-1 defeat bears out that some players grasped the nettle with both hands.

One such example is Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has had first-team experience in various different positions this season. Fielded in central midfield against United, the Englishman valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt bossed proceedings against Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba for long periods.

Maitland-Niles stats vs Man United

It was a performance of such pace, power and purpose that in the week when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was ruled out of the World Cup, Gareth Southgate might well have taken notice and been just a little bit tempted to make the Arsenal man something of a wildcard pick among the 23 he will take to Russia this summer.

But before that, the Gunners have a job to do away from home against Atletico, who are renowned for their impressive home form.

It will not be an easy task in such a hostile environment, but we're asking you whether you think Maitland-Niles should keep his place for the vital game? Let us know by voting in the poll below...