‘I definitely miss not being in England,’ admits Mohamed Elneny as the rain pours down in Port Gentil, an oil town on the Gabonese coast with a population about the same size as Lancaster.

The timing is uncanny. As he talks, a phone buzzes. The message: Granit Xhaka has been sent off against Burnley. Elneny may miss Arsenal, but perhaps not as much as they miss him.

But international football, in the shape of the Africa Cup of Nations, has called him away, and, whether on the pitch or off it, the midfielder is never one to shirk responsibility.

Midfelder Mohamed Elneny has outlined his desire to become an Arsenal legend

The 24-year-old Elneny joined Arsenal in January 2016 from Basle in Switzerland

Elneny is away from Arsenal at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt

‘This is my nation,’ he explains. ‘My country. I have to answer the call to play with the national team.

‘For us as Egyptians we would do anything for our country. And in particular we know the importance of this tournament. The Egyptian fans are so keen to claim the title again.’

Despite an international career that began in 2011, this is Elneny’s first Cup of Nations - with political unrest at home marring their football, the competition’s most successful side have failed to qualify for each of the last three tournaments.

But that hasn’t lowered expectations for the current side, for which the Arsenal man is a key player.

‘They are used to winning,’ says Elneny of the Egyptian public, who up until 2010 had seen their side win three consecutive Cups.

‘It means they can’t accept defeat, or even a draw, easily. That’s why we always put in that little bit more effort, to please them.’

It’s a feeling that Elneny knows well. Coming through at Basle he won the Swiss league in each of his four seasons. Now at Arsenal, every defeat is seen as a sign of crisis. But the box-to-box midfielder with the big hair doesn’t let that get to him - he is literally living the dream.

A disbelieving smile crosses his face as he talks about the moment he heard Arsene Wenger wanted him to join the Gunners - even after a year in which he has become a key member of the squad, he doesn’t quite seem to have come to terms with the reality.

Elneny (front, second left) has, at Egypt, a similar level of expectation to Arsenal

Elneny is playing at his first AFCON with Egypt, despite his international career starting in 2011

Arsenal would find Elneny's presence particularly helpful as Granit Xhaka faces a long ban

MOHAMED ELNENY 2011-13: El Mokawloon - 35 games, 2 goals 2013-16: Base - 91 games, 5 goals 2016: Arsenal - 36 games, 1 goal Egypt: 49 caps, 3 goals Advertisement

‘I didn’t believe it at the start. I know I played well at Basle, but it was always a dream to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world. When you have a dream, and your dream comes true, of course you don’t believe it straight away.

‘Wenger is the best coach in the world, so when he called me…’ His voice trails off, the memory of it clearly beyond words, and when he starts again his humility returns, feet back firmly on the ground. ‘It means I’m going in the right direction.’

That journey has progressed apace since he completed the move, a year ago this week, with Elneny slipping seamlessly into the Arsenal side, whether at the base of the midfield or in the slightly more advanced role he enjoyed at Basle.

Once he secured a position in the starting XI, in March, Elneny was rarely out of the team, winning the club’s player of the month awards in April and May, and also scoring their goal of the season against Barcelona.

This season, despite the arrival of Xhaka and the return to fitness of Aaron Ramsey, he has remained a useful part of the squad, and he credits the speed of his rise to prominence in England to the harmony around the club.

‘It’s been a great year for me,’ he says. ‘Playing in England, at one of the best five clubs in the world.

‘Since I arrived, I’ve enjoyed the whole experience. Not just playing for the club, but the country itself. The friends I’m making, the supporters. The whole atmosphere around the football. It’s been one of the best years of my life.

‘In Basle I gained experience. But when I came to England, and Arsenal, I adapted so quickly because I felt straight away it was like a family, a whole big family. You are someone new, but they embrace you. They bring you in.

‘Everyone loves each other. When you feel like people love you, and they want you around, that makes you adapt quickly, you enjoy being there.

‘That’s why when I leave, even on holiday or with Egypt, I miss it.’

Egypt's Elneny pictured in discussion with Sportsmail's Jonny Singer in Gabon

Elneny credits his speedy adaptation to life at Arsenal on the family spirit at the club

Elneny considers Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to be the best coach in the world

Football is Elneny’s blood. His father was a player and a coach back in Egypt, and still calls up with tips from time to time.

‘Where I am now, I owe that all to my dad, and the way he was with me. He always backed me, always supported me. He still gives me advice now. So of course, he shaped my career and my whole life.’

Famously, Elneny Snr used to make his son sleep with a football in his bed so that he would always be thinking about the game - and it’s an ideal that looks set to be passed on for another generation.

‘It’s true,’ he admits. ‘Growing up, there was always a football there. That’s why I loved football, and I always had one with me. So that’s how I ended up with a ball in my bed. And now it’s the same with my children.’

After a late win over Uganda in their second game of the tournament, Egypt are on the brink of the quarter-finals in Gabon, needing only a point in their final group fixture.

That would mean more games for Arsenal without their most willing runner, a prospect that cannot please Wenger and his staff now that Xhaka faces a lengthy ban.

Elneny's father was a coach and made him sleep with a football at the bottom of his bed

Elneny wants to become an Arsenal legend with the same standing as Thierry Henry

But when he does return, Elneny is setting his sights high. ‘I want to be a legend at this club,’ he says enthusiastically.

‘Like Thierry Henry. I mean, obviously not exactly like him. I have my own personality, my own character. I want to be different to anyone that’s gone before.

‘But since I got here, I’ve always had that in mind. I wanted to become an Arsenal legend.’