Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger defended himself over the handling of Danny Welbeck’s knee injury.

The England forward has been missing since April and will now be out until 2016 after undergoing surgery.

Throughout the summer the club were linked with a striker but failed to sign anyone before the transfer window shut last week. As a result the club have been left looking a bit light up front. After the window closed, Arsenal announced that Welbeck had undergone knee surgery just a few days after Wenger had told the media that the striker was only a couple of weeks from returning.

That clearly wasn’t the case, but the Arsenal boss has insisted he didn’t learn of the surgery until after the press conference.

After the win at Newcastle United the following day, Arsenal weren’t left with much time to find a solution. The transfer window closed at 6pm on the Tuesday in England and 24 hours earlier across Europe, so the Gunners were in a very static market. Wenger wasn’t against a new signing but couldn’t find a player good enough for Arsenal in the short time remaining.

Clearly the club now look a bit light up front until Welbeck returns, but Wenger is confident there are still plenty of goals in the side. After a slow start to the season he will be hoping his players deliver against Stoke on Saturday, as they will have to without Welbeck until we’re already halfway through the campaign.