Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Granit Xhaka is still searching for a natural role in the team, but pointed out that even Thierry Henry had to wait before becoming a regular starter for the Gunners.
Wenger spent £30 million pounds on Xhaka in the summer, but the Switzerland international has only made seven starts so far and was on the bench for the team's recent draws against Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Wenger insisted that Xhaka will still have a big role to play this season, but that he still has "to find the balance" in the team.
"He's more a deep midfielder who passes the ball well through the lines. We have some other deep midfielders, so [he has] to find the right position in the team and to adapt to the way we play and to the pace of the English game. I'm confident he will do very well,"
Wenger said. "If you look as well at Thierry Henry when he came here, and look when he started to play. He did not play when he arrived here, and he was as well 23 years old. He did not play regularly, he started in November."
But given his hefty price tag, many had expected Xhaka to grab one of Arsenal's two central midfield roles right away. However, Wenger has stuck with Francis Coquelin as his first-choice holding midfielder, while Santi Cazorla is the preferred box-to-box player.
And even with Cazorla injured, Wenger has played Mohamed Elneny and Aaron Ramsey in that role in the last two games.
And the Arsenal boss said playing in a deeper role is the better fit for Xhaka.
"He's more a deep playmaker than a box-to-box player. He does not get into the final third of the opposition a lot, he's more a guy who has a fantastic pass to play through the lines," he said. "He's more a guy who gets the ball from the defenders and finds the high midfield. His strength is what we call the moderate value pass, that means the pass comes from deep midfield to high midfield."
Wenger's reluctance to play Xhaka more often has puzzled many fans, and the Frenchman acknowledged that it has been frustrating for the Switzerland international as well.
"Yes, but that is part of our job, you know," he said. "People want you always to buy players, but when you have bought the players you can (still) play 11, not 22. And they feel always sorry for the 11 who don't play. But what you want is for the players to compete and to convince you to get in the team."