Mohamed Elneny reaffirms Arsenal future and insists he "trusts" Mikel Arteta

Mohamed Elneny has described Arsenal as his "family" and will stay at the Emirates if the club's hierarchy "want" him to.

The 29-year-old's existing deal expires this summer and it's still unclear if he'll put pen to paper on a new contract. Elneny does not feature regularly under Mikel Arteta - making just 12 Premier League appearances this season - but has started the last five games.

The Egypt international has struggled for minutes throughout his six-and-a-half years at the Emirates. He's only played 145 games for Arsenal during that period - winning the FA Cup in May 2017 - and spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Turkish outfit Besiktas.

Despite this, Elneny could still be part of Arsenal's squad for next season. "I've said before, if Arsenal want me, it's my club, my family, but it's not my decision," the midfielder told Sky Sports. "I have to wait for them to say 'Mo, we want you'.

"Since the first day I have been here, it has felt like a family. We really work like that here, it's such a beautiful club."

Elneny also claims he trusts Arteta, despite his lack of game time this season. The Spaniard favours a central midfield partnership of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, with Albert Sambi Lokonga often selected when either of the duo aren't available.

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Yet Elneny has helped Arsenal pick up four wins from their last five games to give them a chance of Champions League qualification. The Gunners will return to Europe's most prestigious competition if they win their final two fixtures against Newcastle and Everton.

"I do my job, I let Mikel do his job too and respect his decisions," added Elneny. "He always does the right thing for the team, that's what I believe. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka were playing and doing really well, there was never anything to explain, I understood.

"I just knew I had to be ready, we work as a team and in football everything can change in one second. When you suddenly are playing and the fans can see you, when you feel you play well, when you're winning, you feel that change. I'm really proud when I hear something good about me, and they see how hard I work for this club."

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has urged Arsenal to give Elneny a new contract. "We are talking about players who came on who do a job for their manager with unbelievable professionalism," he told the Wrighty's House podcast.

"Elneny may be leaving at the end of the season, you look at that performance and the one against Chelsea [a 4-2 victory], and you can only think to yourself that if Arsenal are trying to build a team to get to the top four, you need that back-up player.

"He has to stay. For him to come in in those two games, which were arguably two of the biggest games in Arsenal's calendar, those are massive games, and for him to come in - the last time he played was 2 December - and play at that level, you have to say hats off to him."