Arsène Wenger has expressed unease over the prolonged and complicated knee injury of Danny Welbeck.

The England forward has been out of action since the end of April, and despite an initial diagnosis of a minor problem has missed 16 weeks and is not yet able to participate in full training. He is still restricted to gym work.

“It is much slower than expected,” the Arsenal manager said. “It was a bone bruising at the start. You think that it will be quite quick. He is an important player for us and the fact that he is not available is a bit of a concern.”

Wenger is frustrated it is taking Welbeck, a deadline-day signing from Manchester United last summer , so long to regain fitness.

There is no sense that any kind of surgery is needed or would be particularly helpful.

“That is what I have been told,” Wenger said. “It is bone bruising and nothing wrong at all. They have done all kinds of scans that today are very sophisticated and some of them I don’t understand at all. But they tell me no.”

Not for the first time for Arsenal in recent years, a player is suffering from an injury that is somewhat inexplicable.

Wenger is thankful, therefore, to have a player on the other end of the fitness spectrum at his disposal in the seemingly super-powered Alexis Sánchez. The Chilean attacker is in contention to start tomorrow’s s game at Crystal Palace with Arsenal in dire need of a pick-me-up. After a short pre-season in the aftermath of the Copa América Sánchez is, according to Wenger, in reliable shape.

“He came back reasonably fit. He practised for two weeks before he came back. He did not start from zero. He is very ambitious, Alexis.”

Guardian Service