Obviously it will not be any use to Arsenal tonight in the Champions League away to Borussia Dortmund, or the Premier League game at Aston Villa this weekend, but Arsene Wenger is optimistic that the injury to our French right back may not be nearly as bad as first feared.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, as reported by ESPN, the Arsenal boss revealed that the 29-year old France international is due to have a scan today on his sprained ankle, but the club is hopeful for a good result. He also played down the so-called defensive crisis that has ruled out Nacho Monreal and made young Calum Chambers a doubt as well.
Wenger said, “”I don’t feel we are stretched. The Debuchy [ankle] injury put us in a position where we do not want more and hopefully we have good news after the scan that he can be back soon.
“”We have Chambers who can play in different positions, Monreal who can play centre-back and Hector Bellerin, who I think now is ready to play.
“He’s a boy with personality who isn’t fazed by the pressure. That’s a very important quality when you’re a young boy playing at a big club. His transition game is fantastic. He’s very quick and his final ball is good as well.
“He lacks a bit of experience as a defender, but he’s very dangerous going forward.”
It sounds like Wenger is ready to throw the young Spaniard in at the deep end, but he does have more defensive options in Mathieu Flamini and Francis Coquelin, the two French midfielders who have both played their on occasion. But if the news on Debuchy is good, it will be a real boost for us, especially if he is back in time for the Tottenham or Chelsea games in a few weeks time.