Speaking back in January, Mikel Arteta urged Dani Ceballos to “fight for his place” amid suggestions he was interested in cutting his loan spell at Arsenal short.

In the end, the Spaniard stayed put at the Emirates, and was rewarded with a start against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon. And boy did he deliver.

The loanee from Real Madrid delivered a midfield masterclass, and was instrumental in the north London side’s 4-0 thrashing of the Magpies.

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Getting the nod over the likes of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi to start alongside Granit Xhaka in the engine room, Ceballos brought all the guile that had Arsenal fans purring earlier in the season when he shone against Burnley.

And in another stand-out performance from him at the Emirates, the 23-year-old helped run the show for the Gunners. As per Sofascore, he had 108 touches (only Xhaka had more with 114), made 87 accurate passes at a mind-blowing accuracy of 95%, and provided three key passes – not to mention the fact he also delivered seven accurate long balls out of the eight that he attempted.

Several times during the game, Ceballos’ probing over-the-top through balls to Hector Bellerin almost led to a clear opening for Arsenal, and the Spaniard’s invention and creativity was a hallmark of his performance. He always looked to play forward, with one delicious first-time cross into the box unlucky not to be finished off.

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His composure in possession meant that he could play a lot more aggressively, with one point in the second-half seeing him win the ball back off of Allan Saint-Maximin, before wriggling away and earning a free-kick from the frustrated Newcastle winger.

Injuries have of course plagued his time with the club, so for him to produce such a performance is a testament to his desire and ability. Speaking after the game, Arteta praised the midfielder, saying he was “so glad with his performance”, and he will no doubt he hoping that Ceballos continues in this vein for the rest of the season.

The Gunners boss has a wealth of options in that midfield area, what with the likes of Xhaka, Torreira, Guendouzi and Joe Willock. But Ceballos’ masterclass has given Arteta a major headache about how he goes about choosing his team from now on.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal starlet deserves a chance to be Aaron Ramsey’s long-term successor.