With Arsenal’s injury list racking up, today it has become clear about just how long these injuries will last. It’s not good news.
We’ll get the worst out the way. Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard was forced to continue playing on an injury against Norwich after the Gunners had used up all their substitutions. He will now miss around four months, a heavy blow for the club. Francis Coquelin had only picked up a three month long injury the week before, so the Gunners central midfield has suddenly been dismantled.
In the same game Alexis Sanchez picked up a hamstring injury. The Chilean has now returned to Chile for treatment, with Arsene Wenger hoping he will return in time for the match against Manchester City on December the 21st. This appears unlikely with the diagnosis of his injury being 3-4 weeks, but I’m sure the player will be doing everything he can to shorten that recovery time.
You might not realise it, but Kieran Gibbs picked up an injury in training and sat out the Norwich game. He should be fit and available for selection for Sunderland. The same applies for both Laurent Koscielny, who picked up a knock against Norwich, but has recovered in time to be back in the team at the weekend, phew.
The big returnee is Theo Walcott who is also likely to be back in the squad on Saturday. The English striker had been doing well in a central role at the start of the season, and is now set to return following a spell on the sidelines after suffering an unnecessary injury against Sheffield Wednesday. With the other injuries in the team though, Walcott is likely to be used more on the right hand side in December, with Olivier Giroud keeping his place in the team.
Return dates remain a mystery for the likes of Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky – all of which have suffered setbacks at some stage during their rehabilitation. Arsenal’s silence on their return dates is worrying some fans who believe their return may have once again been pushed back.
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