If Arsenal Football club and our record on the return dates of players on the injury list being put back over and over again is to go by, then there is a huge chance that we will not be seeing the Spanish international midfield star kicking a ball in anger again for the Gunners this season.
The manager has huffed and puffed and said he is not really sure but for me it sounds like we might as well assume the worst, a la Welbeck last year. There is little doubt that we will miss him. Almost any side on the planet would, but the fact that his style of play is almost an epitome of Arsenal under Le Prof makes his absence felt so much more keenly by the Gunners.
The stats will back this up without a doubt, but will the boss react to this latest injury blow? I for one am hoping so, but who could we get to fill the formidable if slightly small boots of our little magician? When you think about that and the need for such a player to hit the ground running then you start to see how difficult the manager’s job is. Ideas anyone?
Bob.