Ainsley Maitland-Niles says he wanted the opportunity to go on loan in the January transfer window so he wouldn’t rot on the bench.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles signed for West Bromwich Albion on loan in the January transfer window, opting for Sam Allardyce’s side after a deal with Southampton fell apart late on.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Maitland-Niles explained why he decided it was the right move to leave Arsenal for the next few months.

“It’s another loan deal, you are going to end up going back to the club eventually,” Maitland-Niles said. “It was just more of a chance for me to show what I’m capable of other than sitting on the bench for the rest of the season and rotting away.

“The main reason was being able to play as there’s nothing better than playing. I felt it would be great to experience the work of people trying to save their careers and stay in the Premier League.

“I think it was the perfect fit for me to be here and show them the qualities I can produce.”

Clearly, Maitland-Niles felt that he wasn’t going to get minutes in the second half of the campaign under Mikel Arteta. He hadn’t really nailed down a spot in the team under the Arsenal boss, and it didn’t look like changing in the weeks before the move.

There’s no doubt the move has got him out onto the pitch pretty quickly. The 23-year-old has already made five starts in the Premier League for West Brom, as many as he managed in the first half of the campaign with Arsenal.

With the Euros coming up in the summer, Maitland-Niles will want to keep that going and to impress as often as possible.