You couldn’t blame Arsenal fans for fearing the worst when they saw the team sheets ahead of their clash against Liverpool.

That’s because they would have seen 20-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles lining up against Liverpool’s ‘Fab Four’ including the league’s top goalscorer in Mohamed Salah.

When you consider the fact that Maitland-Niles is considered more of a midfield - not to mention he’s right-footed - it was a surprise to see him playing left-back against Salah.

It’s even more surprising when you consider that Sead Kolasinac was left on the bench.

The Bosnian made such a good start to his Arsenal career after arriving from Schalke on a free transfer but the natural left-back is currently being snubbed by Wenger.

THE REASON WENGER PICKED MAITLAND-NILES

And Goal have revealed the real reason.

They claim that Arsene Wenger believes the right-footed player is “a better fit when Arsenal play four defenders at the back.”

On the other hand, Kolasinac is favoured when the team play three at the club - a system which the French manager appears to have ditched for the time being.

If Shkodran Mustafi had recovered from his thigh injury, Nacho Monreal could well have shifted to left-back with Maitland-Niles dropping to the bench.

But as it is, the youngster will have the task of doing what very few defenders have done this season - stop Salah.

WENGER ON MAITLAND-NILES

Ahead of the match, Wenger did his best to give his player a boost of confidence ahead of facing an in-form Liverpool side.

“I believe he is the future. He can play left back, right back, central midfield. Of the three positions, maybe the least natural for him is left back, but he adapts very quickly and is a good defender,” Wenger said.

“He’s a good character. Sometimes he lacked a little bit of belief in his own qualities but he has top defensive qualities as well. Sometimes he plays a little bit with the handbrake on and you think that there’s more in this guy than what he shows, and that he plays inhibited.

“Slowly I hope I’ve pushed him to get a bit more out on the other side of the game.”