Arsene Wenger puzzled by Danny Welbeck's knee injury

Welbeck has not played since 26 April and will not feature again for at least another month

Welbeck will not be available to face Crystal Palace due to injury (Getty Images)

Arsenal will be without Danny Welbeck again this weekend, with their £16m striker still sidelined by a long-term knee problem Arsène Wenger has admitted is being resolved “much slower than expected”.

Welbeck has not played since 26 April and will not feature again for at least another month. Wenger, speaking yesterday, was pessimistic about the issue. When he was asked about choosing between his strikers, Welbeck was not even mentioned.

The problem is bruising of the bone on Welbeck’s knee, an issue not solvable through surgery. Welbeck has not yet returned to training and the best case scenario, in terms of his return, is late September. He will certainly miss matches for England against San Marino and Switzerland in next month’s Euro 2016 qualifiers.

“He is not close because he has not started full training,” Wenger admitted. “I will say at least three weeks from today.”

When asked how an absence of a few weeks has become four months, Wenger admitted: “It is much slower than expected. It was a bone bruising at the start, you think that it will be quite quick. He is an important player for us and the fact that he is not available is a bit of a concern.”

Despite Welbeck’s lengthy absence, there is no cause for an operation. “I don’t think so, that is what I have been told,” Wenger added.