Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny was a late substitute in Saturday’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, replacing man-of-the-match Alexis Sanchez in injury time.

But it could well be his last appearance for the Gunners given his lack of activity this season.

The Egyptian international made just eight Premier League starts for Arsenal in 2016/17. He was in and out of the side in the first-half of the season while players were still competing for places, but become subsidiary in 2017 as a result of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey’s successful midfield partnership.

A ball-playing midfielder of substance who seldom came out second-best in a duel, nor left themselves positionally exposed in games, Elneny still has his supporters at Arsenal. But he’s been unable to impress Wenger and is believed to have had a falling out over his decision to snub the side to represent his country in the African Cup of Nations.

Elneny, whose deal still has three years to run, was an unused substitute in five of Arsenal’s last eight top-flight fixtures and was left out of the matchday squad entirely for the other three games. He’s clearly not in the manager’s reckoning and could consequently find himself behind the likes of Xhaka, Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla next season.

Signed from FC Basel in January 2016, his £10m transfer fee looked a bargain as he ended his first season strongly at the Emirates Stadium with consecutive Player of the Month awards. But Elneny has quickly become deadwood in the side and is likely to be cashed in on if a suitor is willing to match the fee Arsenal paid less than 18 months ago.