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Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny set to undergo tests on achilles injury Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny set to undergo tests on achilles injury
(about 3 hours later)
Laurent Koscielny has been diagnosed with an achilles injury by the French Football Federation and sent back to Arsenal, where he will attempt to regain fitness before the club’s Premier League fixture at home to Hull City on Saturday week. Arsène Wenger has been left to digest yet another injury setback, with Laurent Koscielny having returned from international duty with France because of achilles trouble.
Arsenal claim that the move is only precautionary and will carry out tests on Koscielny when he arrives back, saying that the early indications are that the problem is not serious. Reports in France, however, say that Koscielny is suffering from acute tendinitis in both achilles tendons. The Arsenal defender has struggled with pain in the tendons on both of his feet, with reports in France saying that he has acute tendinitis. Given that Koscielny is one of only two specialist senior centre-halves at the club – Per Mertesacker is the other – Wenger can ill afford to be without him. Arsenal, though, say that Koscielny’s problem is not serious, he has returned to London only as a precaution and they are hopeful that he will regain fitness in time for the Premier League fixture at home to Hull City on Saturday week.
Another injury setback feels like the last thing that Arsène Wenger needed, with the Koscielny update coming hard on the heels of the Mesut Özil news from Wednesday. Özil underwent an MRI scan under the watch of the German FA, with whom he had joined up for international duty, which revealed a partial ligament tear in the left knee. France are the hosts of Euro 2016; they qualify automatically and they will play only friendlies until the finals. Koscielny will miss the ones against Portugal on Saturday and Armenia on Tuesday.
Wenger’s injury list has now reached double figures. The Arsenal manager had already counted Olivier Giroud and Mathieu Debuchy as long-term casualties while Aaron Ramsey is unlikely to play again before early November. Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta, Serge Gnabry, Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby are also out. Wenger sold the centre-back Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona in the summer and he said that he would sign a specialist replacement. But he aborted the plan after Calum Chambers, who is nominally a right-back, impressed in central defence in the early matches of the season.
Wenger came to consider the 19-year-old, bought from Southampton, as adequate cover in the position while he also feels that the left-back Nacho Monreal can play in the centre of defence if required.
The problem is that it does not take many defensive injuries to make Arsenal look stretched. Wenger is already without the right-back Mathieu Debuchy until Christmas time because of a serious ankle injury and if Chambers is needed to cover for Koscielny in central defence, the manager’s only other specialist option at right-back is the 19-year-old academy prospect Héctor Bellerín. The more general worry is the strain that is being placed on the same defenders to play in every game.
Koscielny follows Mesut Özil in being sent home from international duty this week, although the Frenchman’s injury is hardly as serious. Özil, who had been in Germany ready for Euro 2016 qualifiers against Poland and the Republic of Ireland, underwent a scan on Wednesday which revealed he had partially torn a ligament in his left knee. According to the German Football Federation, Özil will be out for between 10 and 12 weeks.
Wenger’s injury list is now into double figures. Olivier Giroud is a long-term casualty with a broken bone in his lower leg while Aaron Ramsey is unlikely to play again before early November because of hamstring damage. Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta, Serge Gnabry, Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby are also out.