Arsene Wenger says that Alexandre Lacazette ‘must have felt something in his knee’ during the Spurs clash ahead of the 26-year-old’s surgery this week.
During his 25 minutes on the pitch against Spurs, Lacazette seemed totally off-the-pace, which many attributed to the 26-year-old’s lack of confidence at the moment. But it seems the France international was actually suffering from a knee problem and it required surgery this week.
“He got a surprising swell of the knee after the game against Tottenham and he needed surgery very quick,” Wenger told beIN Sports.
“It’s a massive blow for us and we have to find a solution. Nobody could predict that.
“Football does unpredictable things and it’s always a good opportunity for someone to step in and do well.
“I think he recently must have felt something in his knee. Maybe that’s an explanation as to why he wasn’t scoring as many goals as he’s used to.”
EXCLUSIVE: "It's a massive blow for us."
Wenger reacts to the news of @LacazetteAlex's injury setback, with the French international expected to be out for 5 weeks.#AFC pic.twitter.com/9efofRapg5
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 13, 2018
Wenger’s use of ‘must have’ and ‘maybe’ are more than a little concerning considering he should know exactly what’s going on with his players.
If Lacazette felt something was off with his knee against Spurs, surely his own manager should have been kept in the loop? Has Wenger not spoken to the Frenchman himself or vice versa?
It’ll take Lacazette around five weeks to recover from the procedure but obviously, as he only signed for Arsenal from Lyon in the summer, it’s unclear how well he’ll heal. It could be five weeks it could turn into longer.
As Wenger says, the news comes as a massive blow as Arsenal face Östersunds FK in the Europa League on Thursday night. Lacazette would have been a terrific option to play up front, seeing as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is cup-tied.
Although Dortmund were in the Champions League, they’ve dropped down into Europa after failing to qualify for the final 16.
It looks as if the Gunners will have to turn back to Danny Welbeck for the European clash.
The 27-year-old has scored just five goals in 23 appearances this season and he’s only provided one assist. The striker’s also missed 11 games through injury already, so will probably be a little off the pace.
Is it too late to bring Olivier Giroud back? Who kept the receipt?