Currently at Newcastle United, Rolando Aarons is proving himself to be much more astute than a lot of young wingers.

The 20-year-old broke into the Premier League side early in the season on the flank, but injuries forced him out of action from September until January. Now fit again, he’s found a new role in the team.

Subbed on at half-time against Everton a few weeks ago, Aarons has now started the last two Premier League matches at left-back for the Magpies, taking the place of Paul Dummett, and wasn’t bad at all in the game against West Bromwich Albion in early February. A far less convincing performance in a 5-1 loss to Chelsea wasn’t a highlight, but maybe he could yet retain his place in the side.

The midfielder turned defender (who will probably move back into midfield with Dummett available again) is being linked with a move to Arsenal after failing to agree a new contract in the north-east. The Gunners have been chasing a number of young left-backs, while signing Aarons could yet be terrible news for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is being linked with a move away.

We can’t find any reliable reporting of this link with the Jamaican, and with contract talks going on it’s likely his agent is spreading these reports to strengthen his negotiation position or make his availability known.