Mohamed Elneny absence: Arsenal midfielder missed Bournemouth match due to new baby

Mohamed Elneny has explained why he was absent from Arsenal's squad for Sunday's game against Bournemouth, revealing shortly before the game that his partner had given birth.

When it emerged that the January signing was not in the squad for the game on the south coast, it led to some speculation that perhaps the Egyptian wasn't being considered because he had failed to make an impact since his arrival from FC Basel.

Since joining the club in a £7m deal the defensive midfielder has played just once, in the FA Cup win over Burnley. He was not in the squad for the midweek draw with Southampton and was an unused sub against Stoke and Chelsea.

Elneny cleared up any confusion a couple of hours before Arsenal's 2-0 win over Bournemouth by tweeting: "New baby thanks allah".

Arsenal's win over Bournemouth took them up to third in the league table, level on points with Tottenham.

They are next in action on Sunday, when they play table-toppers Leicester.