Arsenal vs Manchester United: Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta return from injury as Arsene Wenger delivers positive squad update

Giroud has not played since the 23 August after breaking his leg but Wenger has revealed he could feature against United on Saturday

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud (Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he has Olivier Giroud available for selection ahead of Arsenal's crucial Premier League clash with Manchester United this Saturday, with the striker recovering from a broken leg a month ahead of schedule.

Giroud has not played since the end of August when he suffered a broken tibia in the 2-2 draw with Everton, having scored minutes before the injury to salvage a point for the Gunners.

The French striker’s absence led to Wenger making a deadline day move for Danny Welbeck, with the England international joining the North London club from United for £16m.

Ahead of the game against their fierce rivals, Wenger revealed that both Giroud and club captain Mikel Arteta are available after injury, and there was also positive news regarding the progress of defenders Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny.

“Giroud and Arteta are both available,” Wenger told www.arsenal.com. “It's just a question of how ready they are. But they are available.

Olivier Giroud is back in training (Getty Images)

“He [Giroud] is three or four weeks ahead of schedule. Originally we planned to have him back for competition at the beginning of next year. So he's one month ahead.

“Koscielny and Debuchy are doing well, they are out on the field [working] again. We have to see now. Usually field work is three weeks away from full group training. Then there is fitness. It looks straightforward for Debuchy. It's not inflammation, it's just repairing surgery. For Koscielny, it depends how well he responds to training. At the moment he looks good.”

Wenger added that both Welbeck and £35m Alexis Sanchez have helped the Gunners deal with the absence of their lead striker, but stressed that the return of both the France international and a fit-again Theo Walcott.

When asked if they had relied on Welbeck, Wenger said: “Yes, and on Sanchez as well. But we have Giroud back, we have Walcott back. Slowly they will integrate into the team again and give us different options.

Welbeck has scored five goals since joining Arsenal (GETTY IMAGES)

Finally, Wenger gave a brief update on injured midfielder Mesut Özil as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury sustained in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. However, Wenger did concede that the timescale for his return still stretches into next year.

“Ozil is doing well but he will not be ready before the start of 2015,” Wenger said.

Defeat to Untied this weekend would see Louis van Gaal’s side leap ahead of the Gunners, who currently reside in sixth place after a poor run of five wins in their last 14 matches in all competitions.