Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem set for loan spell next season

Arsenal youngster Gedion Zelalem will go out on loan next season to gain further first team experience, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

The 18-year-old has made two professional appearances for the Gunners in the last two campaigns, against Coventry City in the League Cup and Galatasaray in the Champions League last December.

Zelalem has remained at Arsenal to learn his trade in the club's academy with the German-born midfielder having a prominent role in the club's Under-21 side, but come next season the player will be offloaded to gain first team experience away from north London.

"It's possible [Zelalem will go out on loan]," said Wenger after the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. "I always test the players in pre-season and then after that I make an assessment on how close they are to the first team. If he's not close next year then yes, he needs to play somewhere."

Arsenal currently have 13 players out on loan, with their deals expiring on 30 June, with a handful having returned to earn a prominent role under Wenger, who has already confirmed his intention to discuss the future of Carl Jenkinson and not to add to his defence this summer.

Francis Coquelin was recalled from a spell at Charlton Athletic earlier in the season and was immediately inserted into the Arsenal midfield, where he has shone this term as the club have qualified for the Champions League.

However, the likes of Yaya Sanogo and Lukas Podolski return to the Emirates Stadium with doubt over their long-term futures after spells at Crystal Palace and Inter Milan respectively.

While Zelalem's club future is yet unknown the youngster's international aspirations have been firmed up after Fifa cleared him to play for the United States which sees him included in the squad for June's Under-20 World Cup.

Wenger has revealed his delight over the move and believes USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann will be an ideal tutor for Zelalem.

"[Klinsmann is] a fantastic role model," he added. "He has played at the top level and now he starts to have good experience as a coach as well, which will be fantastic for him.

"I leave the players the freedom to play for the country that their heart is. More and more people have been educated in two or three different countries and it's quite interesting.

"He's an interesting case because he has been educated until the age of nine in Germany and then from 10 to 15 in the United States. That's maybe the age where you go out of the family and start to have friends. He felt that he wanted to play for the States."