Aaron Ramsey’s troublesome groin injury has made him a major doubt for Arsenal’s February 25th Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester City, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has admitted.
“It is a little bit sensitive case because we expected him to be a bit further in his development of the groin problem and he doesn’t move forward as quickly as we expected it,” Wenger stated at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Gunners’ UEFA Europa League clash with Ostersunds.
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Ramsey netted his first-ever treble for the club in their 5-1 romp over Everton in a Premier League clash on February 3 but has been missing in action since then with a groin injury.
The all-action Welshman was left out of the matchday squad for the North London Derby and his absence cost the Gunners as they were outplayed in midfield in a 1-0 loss on February 10.
“Today we would say that certainly he will not be available even for the next game against Ostersunds. Maybe for the (Carabao) cup final, we don’t know yet, it depends how he will progress from now,” the French tactician added.
Ramsey is one of several players that have not travelled to Sweden, with Jack Wilshere, Laurent Koscienly, Petr Cech and Alexandre Lacazette the other big names to miss out on their continental cup tie.
Club-record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also stayed in London, but only due to his ineligibility to feature in European ties due to his involvement with Borussia Dortmund earlier this season.
Ramsey is definitely expected to miss both legs of Arsena’s Europa League clash with the Swedish outfit and the fact that he’s a doubt for their clash with Manchester City towards the end of the month doesn’t bode well for Arsene Wenger’s men for the Gunners will need all hands on deck if they are to prevent Pep Guardiola’s men from becoming the first English team to win a quadruple.
Perhaps more importantly for the North Londoners, the Carabao Cup (and the UEFA Europa League) is their only realistic chance of winning silverware this season and Wenger could risk the injury-prone Ramsey at Wembley as he seeks to give their fans something to cheer for.
