Nico Yennaris trained with the Arsenal first-team yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s game with Sunderland and, during the three months that regular right-back Bacary Sagna is expected to be sidelined with an ankle injury, it is likely to become a more frequent occurrence.

Sagna’s injury, sustained following a challenge from Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the defeat to Tottenham, has left Arsenal rather short in the right-back department. Carl Jenkinson would appear the most natural alternative, but his six first-team outings for the club to date, whilst showcasing some promising attacking forays, have underlined the vast improvements that the 19 year old, who spent part of last season on loan with Blue Square Premier side Eastbourne Borough, needs to make defensively.

There are further options. Johan Djourou has played at right-back before, but the most recent occasion on which he did so, as a substitute in the 4-3 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, will hopefully persuade manager Arsene Wenger not to call upon the Switzerland international in that position. Fellow centre-back Laurent Koscielny was a right-back during his formative years, and Andre Santos could switch over from the other full-back berth, but Yennaris also has a case for inclusion, and has certainly caught the eye of the manager.

Wenger said: ”We have a young boy in the reserve team [Nico Yennaris], we have Andre Santos, who could eventually play there. Koscielny could play there, Djourou could play there. Certainly in the next three months some other players will have to play right-back because Jenkinson cannot play all the games.”

Yennaris has already been called up to the first-team squad on two occasions, for the 2010 Emirates Cup and the Carling Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town last month, but did not make it onto the pitch on either occasion. His debut may come sooner than previously anticipated, however, with the 18 year old currently in pole position to start in the next round of the Carling Cup at home to Bolton Wanderers.

Throughout his Arsenal education, Yennaris, who was in the same age group as Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke, has tended to operate in one of two roles for the club, either at right-back or in central midfield. There is a strong case to suggest that he is more comfortable in the latter position, where he performed admirably as the Gunners won the Premier Academy League title in 2010, but, despite his diminutive frame, his pace and aggressiveness in the tackle mean that he is more than capable of playing at right-back if required.

Yennaris missed Arsenal’s last Reserve fixture because of international commitments, but has started three of Neil Banfield’s side’s fixtures this season, and enjoyed a particularly fruitful pre-season off the back of a 2010/11 campaign that was largely curtailed by an injury suffered in the FA Youth Cup defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Young players are often presented with chances to shine in times of adversity and, despite the fact that Jenkinson is likely to start on Sunday, Yennaris, in some capacity at least, is likely to become increasingly involved with Wenger’s squad over the next few months.