Wenger Offers Injury Update On Wilshere, Ozil, Diaby + More…

Arsenal’s season hangs in the balance as we prepare to face Wigan Athletic in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Saturday evening but the Gunners go into the game without a number of first team players available.

Earlier we brought you the news that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Tomas Rosicky are all major doubts for the game and will be given late fitness checks before their involvement is determined, while Laurent Koscielny is still not fit enough to return from his calf problem.

As well as giving us the latest on the quartet, Arsene Wenger also gave Arsenal.com an update on the fitness of Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil and Abou Diaby, while he confirmed that Aaron Ramsey and Lukasz Fabianski would both start this weekend.

Wilshere has been out with a foot injury that he picked up while playing for England back in early March and the boss has revealed the midfielder’s recovery is going well and he’s due to start running again next week. Jack was always expected back towards the end of April at the earliest and it seems he’s on course if things go to plan.

Thankfully the end is in sight for Ozil as well with the German international due to return next Saturday against Hully City after several weeks out with a hamstring strain he suffered during the first leg of our Champions League last 16 clash against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal might also have another option in midfield within the next few weeks with Diaby due back in full training next week after more than a year on the sidelines with a serious knee injury. It would be a minor miracle if the Frenchman played for the first team again given all the injury problems he’s suffered but it would be great to have him back, particularly with the number of players currently out.

Here’s what the boss told the clubs website:

on Wilshere…

It’s all going well but he has not started to run. I think that’s planned for next week. At the moment all is going well.

on Ozil and Koscielny…

Ozil and Koscielny are still out. I think the earliest to come back for Koscielny could be Tuesday and for Ozil it could be next Saturday. That would be a boost because at the moment we have too many players out and it’s important we get them back. We know that at this period of the season, the number of players we had out is too many.

on Diaby…

Diaby is back to full training next week. He could be available soon, maybe in a couple of weeks.

on Ramsey…

He is ready to start and certainly I will decide to start him because Flamini is suspended.

on Fabianski…

Fabianski will play in goal. It’s not a difficult decision because it’s a decision that has been made for a long time.
on whether Fabianski would play in the final…

Let’s play on Saturday. You play football on your merit and your performance and he has turned up with top-level performances until now in every single game. He has done extremely well. He has been man of the match in the three games he has played.

on late fitness tests…

I cannot give you concrete team news because we have so many uncertainties about Chamberlain (groin), Gibbs (ankle), Rosicky (thigh). There will be last-minute decisions on those three players. They are all 50:50.

The Wigan game is huge, not only for the club but also for the future of Arsene Wenger, as failure to win the FA Cup is likely to spell the end of his long reign at Arsenal. The squad is down to the bare bones so hopefully Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rosicky can come through their late fitness tests otherwise we’re going to have to put out a severely weakened side.

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