Arsenal’s McEneff on right track despite injury struggles

Jordan McEneff may be the latest Arsenal youngster to be condemned to a spell on the sidelines due to injury, but in some respects it has been a hugely positive start to the season for the Republic of Ireland youth international.

Although he is also capable of playing on either flank or as a number ten, McEneff has frequently been deployed as a central midfielder for Arsenal U18s this campaign and has produced some excellent performances, impressing with the variety of his passing.

Establishing an effective midfield partnership with fellow second-year Matt Smith, the early stages of this campaign have seen McEneff take his game to new heights after being bedded in slowly during his first season at the club.

McEneff recently signed his first professional contract with Arsenal, which indicates how highly regarded he is, and is a sign that the 17-year-old will be involved with the U23 squad at some stage this season.

Frustratingly, McEneff, like several of his team-mates have been at various stages of their development, has been stopped in his tracks.

However, once he returns to full fitness it would be hugely surprising if he doesn’t regain his place in the starting lineup for the U18s instantly, such is the quality that he possesses.

A skilful player, McEneff takes care not to overcomplicate play and is very effective and direct in his approach, helping his side to maintain an impressive tempo and cause problems for opponents.

One area of his game that McEneff will be seeking to improve upon is his goalscoring – he has scored just once in eleven appearances for the U18s so far, and that strike came last season.

In terms of his overall performances, though, McEneff is progressing very well and shouldn’t have too many problems stepping up to U23 football when the opportunity eventually arises.

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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird