Laurent Koscielny has revealed that he will need ‘daily’ treatment on his Achilles until the end of his career and he’s prepared to miss out against Sunderland if it means that he can play in the last two games.

Kos’s Achilles have been troublesome for a few seasons now and this recent interview goes someway to explaining just how bad the problem is.

“I have some problems,” Kos said when asked about the problem.

“Now it is better. I know it is a difficult injury because you need to work every day on this. Every morning I have my treatment for my Achilles and I know I need to do this to the end of my career.

“Now, every day I do this and it is okay but sometimes with all the games we play every three days, it is difficult and I need to have a rest to recover well for my Achilles.

“That’s why last time I was injured but now it is okay with this. You need to be careful with this because if you stop doing your own exercise programme for one or two weeks, the problem will come back. I know now I need to do this every day to be fit for my team.

“I am prepared to miss Sunderland to be fit for the last two games of this season. Sometimes it is better to miss one game to be fit for the others.”

Arsene Wenger is likely to turn to Nacho Monreal as his third centreback against the Black Cats, with Kieran Gibbs recovering from whatever it was that kept him out against Stoke.

Alexis Sanchez, who got a kick to his thigh on Saturday, was in full training on Monday ahead of the game and looks as if he will feature. This is not a surprise. He is not made of the same stuff as the rest of the squad.

The Ox is out and will also not feature against Everton. Wenger said he had an 80% chance of making the cup final.