London, Jan 31 (IANS): Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised debutant Mohamed Elneny's work rate as the English football powerhouse beat Burnley 2-1 in a fourth round FA Cup encounter here.

The 23-year-old midfielder made an impressive start in Arsenal colours at the Emirates Arena on Saturday and looked comfortable every time the ball was played to him.

"I felt he started a bit cautious, played a bit secure. Later, he became more adventurous, he had some good shots on goal. His mobility, his work rate was exceptional and for the rest, he needs to adjust to the power of the game in the Premier League," Wenger was quoted as saying by the club's official website on Saturday.

"This was a good welcome today and certainly he has learnt a lot. It will take him some time to adjust to the power side of our game here, but the intelligence, the mobility and the technical level are good."

Chilean international Alexis Sanchez scored the winner for his side on his return after an injury lay-off which had him sidelined for two months.

Speaking on his star forward, Wenger said, "With Alexis, I was not too much worried about on the fitness front because I kept him out two weeks ago and he was already there physically. We had some worries about his muscle but today he came through well and you could see that physically, he is ready. He had a long rest now. When he got injured, you could see signs of fatigue. Two months' rest is a good winter break!"

Asked what it would mean to clinch a hat-trick of FA Cup titles, the Frenchman, who has been managing Arsenal from 1996, said: "We have only passed two rounds. It's a long way to go, when you look at everybody still in there. We would love to do it but there's a long way to go. We are still in three competitions and will try every time to get a team out to pass the round."