The summer is a busy one with European Championships and Copa América both taking place: it is, to say the least, an inconvenience.

Across the last couple of seasons, Arsenal have hhad players miss the beginning of the season and even struggle for form (Per Mertesacker in 2014, Alexis in 2015) or pick up injuries (Mesut Özil in 2014) shortly after returning.

Needless to say, Arsène Wenger’s mind is already on how his players may return from international involvement this summer.

“There is a European Championship, there’s a Copa América. We made a schedule to get the players back and it’s very difficult,” Wenger said on Friday morning.

“The European Championships finish 10th July, if you think you have to at least give three to four weeks holiday to the players who go to the end that means they come back beginning of August.”

There was a Copa América last summer, of course, with Chile winning courtesy of an Alexis Sánchez penalty.

Another one takes place this year as a centenary event and Alexis won’t be back training with the rest of the team for the second year running.

You could tell his form dipped this season, with him really failing to find his top level until more recently. Wenger needs to be careful not to rush the forward back in August: an fully-fit Alexis for seven months of the campaign would be more valuable than a half-fit Alexis for nine months.

“It had an impact on him this season because of course Chile won it as well, some big achievement and after that you always have a bit of decompression.”