Embattled Arsenal head coach, Arsene Wenger, has made comments regarding his team’s selection ahead of their final Premier League game against already relegated Aston Villa on Sunday.
He said other players should be fine as they make their last push for the season even though they have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for next season.
On Welbeck, the Frenchman said:
“We are all devastated and very sad. When I say I’m very sad, the whole team is thinking like that.
“It is surprising news. I expected him to at worse miss the Euros, and that is already bad. To be out for such a long time, he had just come back after a year out. You imagine being a 25-year-old professional and you get news like that… “
“We will have to support to him to cope with it,” the coach added.
When asked on the impact of Welbeck’s injury to England’s Euro campaign, he said:
“He was in the qualifiers as a player.
“He had a good understanding with the rest of the squad and he was versatile because he could play on the flank, through the middle and I believe it is a big loss for England as well.”
He also confirmed reports that the former Manchester United striker has had surgery to his right knee. Specialists determined surgery was required after scans and tests revealed significant cartilage damage.
The 25-year-old was injured during Sunday’s match at Manchester City. Danny will miss the Euro 2016 Championship in the summer and his full recovery is expected to take approximately nine months. Since returning to action in February after injuring his left knee in May last year, Welbeck’s impact has been telling – scoring five times, including the recent winner against Norwich City at Emirates Stadium.