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Wenger Reveals Arsenal Ace Is Suffering From Ankle Problems
Arsene Wenger has revealed that Hector Bellerin has been carrying an ankle injury in recent weeks so decided to rest him for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.
Bellerin has impressed at right-back since the turn of the year as he deputised for the injured Mathieu Debuchy after he dislocated his shoulder against Stoke in January.
However, it seems the 20-year-old has been forced to play with an ankle knock in recent weeks and with Debuchy now back to full fitness, Arsene decided to give Bellerin a breather against Reading at the weekend.
The boss admitted the decision was a risky one as Debuchy was clearly rusty having only played once in a friendly since returning to full training, and he ended the game at Wembley suffering from cramps.
Wenger told Arsenal.com:
“It was a bit risky,” the manager explained. “Bellerin has played recently with some ankle problems and Debuchy was back so I thought it was a good moment to do it.
“Debuchy had cramps just before the end of the game but I couldn’t change him, but he is a French international and must be capable of playing in a semi-final against Reading.
“You wait, you wait, at some stage you have to play a game. Kieran Gibbs has not played for a while but he didn’t suffer physically too much.
“Ideally you want everybody to be happy,” Wenger added. “It is part of the job and the most important thing is to get results, for the fans and everybody involved with the club. The majority dominates the minority.”
Let’s hope Bellerin’s ankle problems don’t develop into anything serious as judging on Saturday’s performance, Debuchy isn’t ready to face Chelsea this weekend.