Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has used his time on the sidelines at the north London club to travel to Mecca during Ramadan.
The Egyptian international, who underwent knee surgery at the end of January, is not expected to feature for the league leaders for the remainder of the season, and as such, can make the pilgrimage during the holiest month in the Muslim calendar.
The 30-year-old shared a picture of himself at the Grand Mosque – which is the largest in the world – in front of the Kaaba, the temple at its centre.
Under the picture, which shows the midfielder beaming with delight, he shared a simple caption, using the emojis for the Kaaba and a red heart.
A number of Arsenal fans commented on the picture, not only wishing him well, but extending their prayers to his club and the hope of gaining their first Premier League title in 19 years.
Mohamed Elneny shared a picture with his Instagram followers from Mecca’s Grand Mosque
The Egyptian international will likely not be returning to club duties for the rest of the season
The player has travelled to the holy city in Saudi Arabia a number of times in the past, with Elneny previously sharing pictures from visits in November 2021 and February 2019.
As a devout Muslim, Elneny observes fasting during Ramadan, regardless of whether he is playing or not, and has previously discussed having his club’s support in doing so.
‘The club gives me the freedom,’ the player said in 2022. ‘The mentality must be strong to deal with fasting. I eat a lot at breakfast to get energy.’
Earlier this month, Sportsmail reported that due to a number of observant Muslim regularly featuring in the Premier League, referees would pause matches with evening kick-offs to allow fasting players to break their fast.
The midfielder last featured for the Gunners in their third-round FA Cup tie against Oxford
This year, Ramadan started on March 23 and will continue until the evening of April 21.
Before his knee injury, Elneny had had a patchy season for his club, featuring only eight times across all competitions due to a previous thigh injury.
Despite a lack of playing time, the north London club reasserted their faith in the player, who has been at Arsenal since 2016, by handing him a year-long contract extension to keep him at the club until 2024.
Upon signing the deal, the Gunners’ longest-serving current player said how ‘proud’ he was to play for Arsenal, and praised the ‘spirit and togetherness’ that manager Mikel Arteta has brought to the club.
source: dailymail.co.uk
