Arsenal youngsters Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock can push on to next level - Rob Holding

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James Benge2 November 2017

Rob Holding is backing young guns Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock to establish themselves as Arsenal regulars.

The young trio have emerged as Arsene Wenger’s most highly-regarded youth prospects this season in the Europa League and EFL Cup, as the Arsenal manager rotates his squad between the Premier League and cup competitions.

Maitland-Niles has started all of Arsenal’s games in the EFL Cup and Europa League, while Nelson and Willock have established themselves as regulars in the second string side.

Holding believes all three have shown in the Europa League that they have the capability to go further and challenge for roles in Wenger’s Premier League side.

"You can see with the team we’ve been playing in the cup competitions the likes of Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock have come in and just hit the ground running in that team," Holding said.

"With three wins out of three they can push on to the next level."

Wenger has certainly not shied away from giving youngsters a chance at the highest level, handing Holding a Premier League debut at the first opportunity after his £2million move from Bolton last summer.

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The 22-year-old endured a brief sophomore slump at the start of this season - something Wenger believes he is well and truly over - and was left out of the matchday squad for three games after a 4-0 loss at Liverpool at the end of August.

"It’s part of the game and you’re going to come across it," he said. "You’re not going to have a career that’s going to go straight up to the point where you’re at the top of wherever you want to be.

"You have ups and downs and it’s how we react to them that counts. With the staff around, they’ve been helpful, we’ve cracked on in the gym and out on the pitch too.

"It’s about getting your confidence back and getting back to how you’re playing, and where you want to be going."