Silva's encouraging message to Elneny after his impressive Arsenal form

Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has praised Mohamed Elneny for his displays in the just concluded 2021-22 Premier League season.

The 29-year-old Egypt international was one of the key players for the Gunners as they fought to finish the season among the top four teams but they were beaten to the spot by their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Elneny came into the Arsenal squad after the injury suffered by Ghana international Thomas Partey in the 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace on April 4 at Selhurst Park. He went on to feature in seven straight matches, partnering Granit Xhaka in the heart of the midfield.

Elneny has taken to his social media pages to thank the fans for the support they accorded him and the team throughout the season.

“Those people in these pictures are the reason why I want to get better every single day,” Elneny wrote. “My beloved family, my supportive teammates, and the incredible Arsenal fans.

“I’m grateful for them and for my entire Arsenal family for their support and for always pushing me forward.”

Surprisingly, one of the people, who responded to Elneny’s Tweet is the 45-year-old Brazilian, who wrote: ‘I’m a big fan of yours, Mohamed.’

Silva played for Arsenal between 2002 and 2008 and was instrumental in helping Arsenal clinch the Premier League title whilst going the entire season unbeaten in the 2003-04 season. He managed 170 appearances in Arsenal colours and scored 17 goals.

Elneny is among the three key players at the Gunners whose contracts are running down at the end of the season, the others being Ghana prospect Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette.

The Pharaoh made 14 appearances and accumulated 800 minutes of playing time. He started in eight of these appearances across their 38 fixtures and was used as a substitute on six occasions.

In total, the midfielder provided two Premier League assists this term while last season, he appeared in 23 games for Arsenal and scored one goal.