Arsene Wenger has confirmed, ahead of our Premier League trip to Leicester, that Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi are both up to three weeks away from returning to the Arsenal senior squad.
Ramsey went down during our 4-3 loss against Liverpool on the opening day of the season clutching his hamstring and was instantly subbed off. Initial reports claimed he would be out for a month and this appears to be true, as the boss said he would miss out on Wales’ World Cup Qualifier.
Alex Iwobi was also subbed off at the Emirates with a suspected thigh injury. He’s said to be out for the same amount of time as Ramsey.
Wenger says Ramsey out for "two to three weeks" and same timescale for Iwobi – "should be back after the [international] break".
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) August 18, 2016
Meanwhile, Laurent Koscielny, who has been rested along with Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, is said to be ‘close’ to returning, which will come as a minor boost considering we’re down to the bare-bones at the back. However, the boss also claimed that he may ‘take a gamble’.
Koscielny: "He is close..it is very difficult, the clubs always pay for the fact players play in these tournaments." #AFC
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) August 18, 2016
"It is a bit early yes, but I have Giroud, Koscielny and Ozil who have not played for 2 1/2 months, I may take a gamble." #AFC
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) August 18, 2016
“Maybe I will take a gamble on bringing them back early but I have 48 hours to decide,” he said.
Hmm.