Don't Miss

Arsenal boss reveals positive news on key man ahead of Man Utd

By mac14 on November 17, 2016

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Alexis Sanchez text him to say he’s in ‘good shape’ ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United after suffering a hamstring scare on international duty.

Alexis picked up a minor hamstring strain in training last week and was forced to miss Chile’s World Cup qualifier against Colombia amid reports that he could be facing six weeks on the sidelines.

However, the 27-year-old made a swift recovery and was able to play 84 minutes and score twice during Chile’s important 3-1 victory over Uruguay on Tuesday night.

Wenger has now confirmed that Sanchez sent a text after the match saying he was in ‘good shape’ so it looks as though he’s come through the game unscathed.

Alexis is due to land back in London this afternoon and the boss says he’ll assess his fitness at training on Friday before making a decision over his involvement against United on Saturday lunchtime.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

“I haven’t heard a lot [about his fitness] because we were in doubt 24 hours before the game against Uruguay,”

“We didn’t know if he’d play or not. In the end they decided to play him. He texted us to tell us he’s in good shape after the game. He came off after 84 minutes and now we have to wait. I see him tomorrow [Friday] morning and then I will see if he can be involved in the squad or not.

“What I will consider is the risk of injury because he played while recovering from a hamstring injury. I’ll consider the way he feels as well. On that front you depend on the honesty of the player, how they feel and how they recover.”

It’s a big decision for Wenger as he risks Alexis aggravating his hamstring injury if he does play on Saturday but this is one game we really don’t want to be without our star striker.

Much will depend on the result when our medical team assess Sanchez tomorrow, so let’s hope there is no sign of any damage on the hamstring and he’s passed fit to face United.