Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles hails 'father figure' Arsène Wenger | OneFootball

Ainsley Maitland-Niles says Arsene Wenger’s open approach has been crucial for him during his breakthrough season at the club.

The 20-year-old has made an impression on the Arsenal faithful after stepping up from Under-23 to senior level, making 10 Premier League appearances to date.

Maitland-Niles has also featured in the Europa League nine times and made his England U21 debut in October after forming part of the U20 World Cup-winning squad last summer.

“I owe him a lot for believing in me and telling me I need to work on stuff before he has put me out there,” Maitland-Niles told Sky Sports News.

“I come in every day and try and work as hard as I can on the things I know I need to work hard on and the things that other people pull me up about to be the best that I can.

“Me personally, he’s a very trusting person. He has a lot of belief in his players and whenever you want to talk to him about something his door’s always open – you can always walk in.

“Especially on the training pitch, he puts his arm around you when you need it. That gives you a lot of confidence.

“You could talk to him about anything. He’s such a loving guy, he treats every player as family.

“It depends how open you are as well to go and speak to him. It’s almost like he can be your dad, but he’s your coach at the same time, so he’s giving you that push in both areas.”