By Ian Palmer
Arsenal usually leads the English Premier League in man-games lost through injury and it looks like that trend is going to continue in the current season. The London club found out on January 15th that French international defender Mathieu Debuchy will be sidelined for three months due to a shoulder injury and team captain Mikel Arteta of Spain will be joining him in the stands following recent ankle surgery.
The Gunners released a statement on the club’s official website which said both players are expected to be out for approximately three months, but the exact amount of time out of action will depend on their rehabilitation. Arteta needed to have an operation to remove bone spurs from his left ankle and the club announced the surgery went well. The midfielder hasn’t played since November 26 when he injured his calf during Arsenal’s 2-0 home win in the European Champions League against Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the media that Arteta is back with the squad at its training ground, but he has limited movement due to the calf and ankle problems. The boss said Arteta and the club decided that surgery was the best way to fix the ongoing problem and he hopes the recovery period doesn’t include any setbacks. As for Debuchy, he was injured in Arsenal’s 3-0 home win over Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.
The defender was shoved into the advertising boards by Marko Arnautovic at the end of the pitch and suffered a dislocated shoulder. Incredibly, Arnautovic didn’t earn a yellow card for the incident and it appears he won’t be facing any post-match disciplinary action either. According to Wenger, Debuchy has also undergone surgery to repair the damage.
Wenger added, “It’s very unfortunate for Mathieu. It’s unbelievable because he’s had two surgeries in the same season. He just came back. He played seven games and he’s out again. I count three months out for Mathieu because contact will be a problem for the shoulder.”
Arsenal’s injury list also contains midfielders Wilshere and Abou Diaby as well as defenders Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers. Theo Walcott just returned to the team after missing about a year with a torn ACL and fellow forward Danny Welbeck has missed the past three games with a thigh problem. To make matters worse, Wenger just loaned German international Lukas Podolski to Inter Milan of the Italian Serie A for the rest of the season in a move he could soon regret.
Arsenal is currently fifth in the Premier League, but just a point back of Manchester United and the final Champions League berth. Sportsbooks have Arsenal at 4/9 to finish in the top four this season. Join PinnacleSports today to bet on English Premier League Soccer!
