Clutching his Cavallaro Napoli suit carrier and wearing a vacant expression as he drifts slowly out of the stadium, Denis Suarez is almost always the first player to leave Arsenal’s dressing room after matches.

Regardless of the result, the 25-year-old is usually alone, often emerging at least five minutes ahead of his team-mates.

Unai Emery has restored a degree of unity following the fractious final days of Arsene Wenger’s tenure but, oddly, the club’s most recent signing is an outcast, destined to return to Barcelona when his loan ends in June.

So, what has gone wrong? After all, Suarez had some experience of the mechanics of English football during two years in Manchester City’s reserves as a teenager but, more significantly, he worked with Emery at Sevilla on a season-long loan in 2014-15, where he started 24 times and made a further 21 substitute appearances.

Arsenal’s former head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat, was rumoured to be sceptical of Suarez’s ability but Emery’s experience of the midfielder was a key factor in convincing the club to spend £2.2million on a loan fee.

In Pictures | Arsenal sign Denis Suarez from Barcelona | 31/01/2019 35 show all In Pictures | Arsenal sign Denis Suarez from Barcelona | 31/01/2019 1/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 2/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 3/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 7/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 8/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 9/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 12/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 16/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 19/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 20/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 22/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 23/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 26/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 27/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 28/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 29/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 30/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 31/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 32/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 33/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 34/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 35/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 1/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 2/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 3/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 4/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 5/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 6/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 7/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 8/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 9/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 12/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 13/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 14/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 15/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 16/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 17/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 19/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 20/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 22/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 23/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 24/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 26/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 27/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 28/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 29/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 30/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 31/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 32/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 33/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 34/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 35/35 Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Suarez was said to be enthused by the prospect of working with Emery again and kickstarting a career that has never truly ignited in Spain. However, he has made just six substitute appearances, totalling 95 minutes.

There was a brief clamour for his selection from those placing disproportionate value in a promising 90-minute outing against Al-Nasr during a friendly in Dubai last month but Suarez has remained on the periphery and this week it emerged a groin injury has further restricted his ability to compete for a first-team place.

The situation is not entirely his fault. Emery spent much of January arguing that he wanted one or two “wingers, right or left” before discovering a 3-4-1-2 system in which wide men are redundant. That shape isn’t always used but it has seen the Gunners at their best in recent weeks.

Emery predominantly used Suarez out wide at Sevilla, although he has often played centrally elsewhere, something he could have done at Everton, with Lucas Torreira suspended, Granit Xhaka injured and Aaron Ramsey only fit enough for the bench but, yet again, he was an unused substitute at Goodison.

Those behind the scenes at London Colney describe Suarez has someone who has never settled, rarely smiles and appears to be counting down the days to his departure.

That groin injury is being assessed this week and time is running out to make a meaningful contribution — a maximum of nine games remain this season, but he is nowhere near Emery’s preferred starting line-up.

One thing is for sure, that suit carrier is the closest Suarez will get to tussling with Napoli.