Petr Cech watching his weight in bid to prolong his career, says Arsene Wenger

The veteran goalkeeper turns 36 at the end of this season and Wenger hopes that he can do what Edwin van der Sar did and play on until he is 40

Arsene Wenger said the goalkeeper was 'obsessed' to be the best he could (Getty)

Petr Cech has lost weight in his attempt to prolong his career at the highest level, Arsene Wenger has revealed.

The veteran goalkeeper turns 36 at the end of this season and Wenger hopes that he can do what Edwin van der Sar did and play on until he is 40.

But Cech has faced criticism that he is not at the same standard he was during his brilliant 11-year spell at Chelsea.

Wenger, speaking ahead of tonight’s home game against Huddersfield Town, said that Cech has lost “two or three kilos” in his attempt to stay at the top.

With his goalkeeper struggling at times last season, Wenger applauded Cech’s hard work and “perfectionism” in keeping himself in the best possible shape to stay fit and competitive even now, 15 years after he first arrived in English football.

“He gets older, we all do that,” Wenger said of Cech. “But as he gets older, I think he is fitter than ever. He puts a lot of attention to the preparation. He is slimmer than before. I think he benefits from that. He has lost some weight. Not too much, two, three kilos only. He has done it by looking after his whole lifestyle.”

Wenger put Cech’s commitment down to his innate “obsession” to be the best player he could, which of course requires more sacrifices and hard work at 35 than it does at 25.

“He has done it because he feels better and because he wants to be at the best,” Wenger said. “Petr Cech is a perfectionist. And you don’t make a career he has made if you have not that obsession, always to be at your best.”

Cech has been working hard to maintain his longevity (Getty)

That professionalism makes Wenger compare Cech with Van der Sar, the legendary Dutch goalkeeper whose last game for Manchester United – the 2011 Champions League final – was just months before his 41st birthday. United wanted Van der Sar for the 2011-12 season too and he was the one who decided to stop playing.

Wenger believes Cech can achieve the same longevity for Arsenal.

“I remember Van der Sar at Man United, I compare him with Cech,” Wenger said. “They are intelligent, they have great similar size, similar quality. And Van der Sar stopped at the end because he decided to stop. Because Man United wanted him to stay one more year longer.”

So can Cech play on to 40 too? “I don’t rule it out, but that will only be down to the performances.”