Injury Boost For Arsenal As Duo Set To Teturn Against Manchester United

Arsenal fans could see Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta in action against Manchester United as the duo have been training off late and could feature on Saturday.

Both of them were expected to be back in action in December but are ahead of the schedule. Giroud had appeared in just two Premier League games before suffering from a fractured foot. The Frenchman has missed a total of 15 games for the Gunners in that period and his return will be vital for Arsenal to get back some consistency into their league form.

Mikel Arteta too stepped up his rehabilitation in a bid to return early and it has worked as he could play a hand in the game against United if not start the game.

Manager Arsene Wenger revealed, “Giroud and Arteta are both available. It’s just a question of how ready they are. But they are available.

“[Giroud] is three or four weeks ahead of schedule.

“Originally we planned to have him back for competition at the beginning of next year. So he’s one month ahead.”

Defensive pair back in training

Arsene Wenger also revealed that Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy have returned to light training. He said, “Koscielny and Debuchy are doing well, they are out on the field again. We have to see now.

“Usually field work is three weeks away from full group training. Then there is fitness.

“It looks straightforward for Debuchy. It’s not inflammation, it’s just repairing surgery.

“For Koscielny, it depends how well he responds to training. At the moment he looks good.”

The Gunners were rocked by injuries to key players which hasn’t helped their slow start. Despite that, they are just one point off the Champions League place. The return of the injured players will be a huge boost in a period where the games come thick and fast. The North Londoners will face Manchester United on Saturday and a win will help Wenger’s side in increasing the gap between themselves and United who are their direct rivals for the top four spot.