Arsenal injury news: Jack Wilshere 'recovering slower than expected' while Danny Welbeck 'out until Christmas'

The Arsenal manager has given an update on both players

Jack Wilshere has an ankle injury (Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger revealed this morning that midfielder Jack Wilshere is recovering “slower than expected” from an ankle injury which has cost him the start of this season.

Arsenal had initially hoped that Wilshere would be ready this weekend, after the September international break, following a hairline fracture to his ankle which he sustained in training on 1 August. But Wenger confirmed at his press conference today that Wilshere has had a setback and would not be returning imminently.

“I have not seen Jack in the last two or three days,” Wenger said. “He is progressing slowly. It is slower than expected as I expected him to be back and available after the break, but unfortunately he will not be available for Saturday. He had a little setback and I have to know about it but I can’t tell you much more as I have no medical information.”

Wilshere has not played since England’s game in Slovenia on 14 June, having missed five months of last season with another fracture of his same, troublesome left ankle. Wilshere, of course, missed the whole of 2011-12 season with ankle trouble and is now facing the prospect of missing the first major part of this season with a similar injury.

Danny Welbeck has undergone surgery on his left knee (2015 Getty Images)

Arsenal and England team-mate Danny Welbeck is facing an even longer spell on the sidelines, with Wenger confirming this morning that he will be out “certainly until Christmas” after he finally had knee surgery on a long-term problem.

Insisting that he did not know about Welbeck’s surgery when he spoke last week, Wenger said it was only last Friday evening that he knew about the extent of the problem.

“I did not know Welbeck had a bad set back,” Wenger explained. “I did not lie to you, I gave you the information I had. I heard late on Friday night that his condition had not evolved as well as we thought it was and he had needed specialist and needed further investigation.”

Welbeck has not played since April and by the time he returns, January 2016 at the earliest, he will have been out for eight months at the least.