Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny is recovering better than expected from an Achilles rupture, Unai Emery revealed even as the Spanish tactician admitted it will take a fair while before the central defender can return to competitive action.
The 32-year-old suffered the injury in May and has been missing in action ever since. He couldn’t play a part in France’s triumph at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was absent from Arsenal’s pre-season tour as well.
“He’s working very hard. First he was in France. He came back to us last Sunday. We are happy to have him here with us, because he’s our captain and he’s showing us his spirit to stay with us,” Emery told the media ahead of Saturday’s tie against West Ham United.
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“We need to be patient with him because the injury was an important injury. It’s clear that it’s very important to stay with us, working here and showing us that he wants to help us.”
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Initially the prognosis was that Koscielny could make his first start towards the end of the year and despite his rapid recovery, there doesn’t appear to be much improvement on the timetable.
“It’s difficult to know. You look at this morning, he’s running, he’s working on the pitch. The progress is very good progress,” Emery stated when pressed on a approximate return date for the French defender.
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The Unai Emery reign at Arsenal hasn’t gotten off to an auspicious start, with the Gunners losing their opening two games at the hands of Manchester City and Chelsea, respectively.
Saturday’s clash with the Hammers is expected to be an intriguing one for their crosstown rivals are in a similar situation as well.