Vermaelen 'back in training in a month'

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen hopes to return to training in four weeks after undergoing surgery on his left ankle. "Yesterday I had a small procedure to take out my plantaris tendon," he wrote on Twitter. "Just to prevent it becomes a big problem. Back training in 4 weeks."

Vermaelen missed most of last season with an Achilles injury. He was out of action from August until May. Arsenal, though, confirmed yesterday that the operation "has nothing to do" with his troublesome Achilles tendon, and was in fact the same treatment that he had on his right ankle in January last year.