Injuries and Arsenal players have gone hand in hand for so many years that little to no sympathy is even shown nowadays when the Gunners announce that they've lost a key player for half a season due to them having legs made of matchsticks. So, expect plenty of ridicule to come Arsene Wenger's way when people realise the Gunners are already facing a player shortage a month before the start of the new Premier League season.
Not only has Alexis Sanchez been ruled out of the Gunners' opening match against Liverpool, on August 14th, due to an ankle injury he suffered during the Copa America final against Argentina, but Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are all in need of a rest after reaching the latter stages of Euro 2016 with their respective countries.
The foursome will be given a three week break, rather than the four weeks players usually receive during pre-season as Wenger rushes to get them back in time for the home game with Jurgen Klopp's men. However, returning to training on 1st August will only provide Giroud, Koscielny, Ramsey and Ozil with two weeks to get back to full match fitness, meaning the visit to Premier League champions Leicester City on 20th August is a more likely setting for their first starts of the campaign.
With Danny Welbeck still on the shelf with a long term knee injury suffered in May, Wenger's only striking options for the Liverpool match are youngster Chuba Akpom, who impressed when presented with the opportunities during the tail end of last season, or the man with a permanent reservation in the physio's room, Theo Walcott. Neither option will exactly inspire confidence in Gunners' fans.
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Topics: Football, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Premier League, Arsenal, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey