Mohamed Elneny has made a very early return to training with Arsenal, announcing his comeback on social media on Saturday.

Posting on Instagram this weekend, Mohamed Elneny wrote: “Surprise, I’m back! Ready to fight”

The Arsenal midfielder added on Twitter that he’s “so happy to be back with the boys”.

The expectation was that Elneny would be out until 2023, as reports suggested he was Arsenal’s longest-term absentee with a hamstring problem.

But it now seems reasonable to expect the midfielder will be back in action immediately after the World Cup, if not even sooner.

Elneny could be seen competing for the ball in photos of the latest Arsenal training session, so he’s clearly not simply taking part in running drills. It looks like he might even be closing in on a competitive return.

The Gunners likely won’t want to rush him, and there are only two weeks until the World Cup break, so we may not see the midfielder playing before then.

But if he’s ready, perhaps the League Cup game against Brighton in a week and a half could be the right time to ease him back in.

Elneny’s return would certainly be a boost for Arsenal. For the time being, Albert Sambi Lokonga has had to fill in as the deepest midfielder in the rotation games, but we saw in pre-season what an impact Lokonga could have playing a more advanced midfield role.

Having Elneny as an option would free Lokonga up to play that role and perhaps get Granit Xhaka a bit of extra rest by extension.

Arsenal’s squad is so thin at the moment, Mikel Arteta will take anyone he can get back involved.