The latest updates from Arsene Wenger on the progress of Abou Diaby’s fitness, don’t make good reading for any fans of the French midfielder.
In a press conference on Thursday morning, Wenger said: “At the moment he is not in a position where he will be able to play soon because he is not on the field at all.”
Having only played only 16 league games over the past four campaigns amid a whole catalogue of different injuries and Wenger has fuelled speculation that Diaby has played his final game for Arsenal, Wenger said :” I will have a decision to make about his contract.”
Wenger has previously sounded considerably more optimistic about the situation but now the injuries have taken their toll on the 28-year-old. “Diaby hasn’t a mental problem but a problem of injury,” said Wenger. “He is a player for whom I have great respect. Whenever he returns, he is injured and he goes from zero. He was destroyed by a bad tackle.
“The football player needs mobility of his ankle. When your ankle mobility is restricted, you compensate with something else. He suffered from a very bad tackle in Sunderland six or seven years ago. He was the victim of a tackle that was never punished. It has restricted the mobility of his ankle. If he comes back, I will keep him. I always believed in him. In football, the most important thing is health.”