LONDON -- Arsene Wenger has hinted he will give new signing Mohamed Elneny his Arsenal debut in the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Burnley on Saturday, adding that the midfielder has impressed in training with his vision and technique.
Elneny, 23, has been on the Gunners bench twice since completing his £7 million move from Basel earlier this month.
The Egypt international failed to get onto the pitch on both occasions, but is likely to see action when Arsenal welcome the Championship side to the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
"It's a possibility that I'll have a look at him tomorrow," Wenger said at his prematch news conference on Friday. "He has good technique, good vision, quick decision making. And he's very mobile, very agile."
Wenger has a number of options for the central midfield positions as Francis Coquelin and Tomas Rosicky are also available again, along with captain Mikel Arteta.
That gives him a chance to rest Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey if he chooses, but the Frenchman promised to field a strong team.
Arsenal have won the last two FA Cups and are trying to become the first team in 130 years to win three in a row.
"I will make some changes, not many," Wenger said. "We spoke about Elneny, maybe I will give him a chance to play. Coquelin, I will have to think about it. But I will play with a Premier League team."
Elneny was brought in partially as cover for Coquelin, who sustained a serious knee injury in November but has returned to fitness nearly a month ahead of schedule.
They will both be competing for the holding-midfield position going forward, although Wenger reiterated that Elneny can also play in more of an attacking role.
Arsenal have looked much more vulnerable defensively in Coquelin's absence, taking just two points from their last three games and falling three points behind Premier League leader Leicester.
"Coquelin gives us defensive stability in midfield, and will compete with the players who play in this area," Wenger said. "Before he was injured he had a very good spell in the team, and the results were good. His defensive record was very good, so he's now in a position where he can compete again for his position."
Wenger also confirmed that David Ospina will return in goal for his first game since the 3-2 Champions League loss to Olympiakos on Sep. 29 -- where he gifted the visitors a goal by carrying the ball across the line.
Ospina has struggled with injuries since then and missed the 3-1 FA Cup third-round win over Sunderland.
Arsenal are favourites on Saturday, but Wenger still remembers the team's 3-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup earlier this season and is wary of another upset.
And with his side eager to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Sunday, he said it is not the right time to field a team full of youngsters.
"Overall our number of points in January is not good enough for what we plan," he said. "So we are in a situation where we quickly have to get back to winning habits. So let's start tomorrow."
And Wenger was quick to point out that Burnley, who sit third in the Championship, still have a number of the same players who played in the Premier League last season.
"We have to be humble enough to accept that and to not think that just because we turn up at the Emirates and play against Burnley that we will win the game," he said. "We have to earn the right to go through this round and to qualify. If we don't do that, we will have a bad surprise."