Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

Theo Walcott on verge of Arsenal comeback after nine months out

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is planning to reintroduce winger Theo Walcott to his first team in the coming days as the England winger closes in on a return from a long-term knee injury.

Walcott has not played for Arsenal since January's FA Cup third-round tie against Tottenham, with his appearance in an under-21 game last week the latest step in his recovery programme.

Wenger has confirmed that Walcott is now fully fit physically after a nine-month break from the game, but he is wary of throwing him back into competitive Premier League football too quickly.

"He has to get used to contact again," said Wenger. "He has been out for nine months, it was a big injury. It takes time to settle and get used to being kicked again. He has a game that exposes him and he needs to feel completely confident. He is not far. Fitness-wise, he is there to play a part in the game, but on the contact front, he needs a bit more time.

Arsenal host Burnley in the Premier League a week on Saturday before welcoming Anderlecht to the Emirates Stadium for their Champions League group game four days later, with a trip to Swansea on Sunday Nov. 9 their last game before the international break.

"Theo is a very polite and social guy, but he is as well behind that mentally very strong," Wenger added. "What he has gone through the last nine months, you gain even more respect for him. He has had some difficult times. He has a young baby, they had some problems after, he has done very well."

Wenger admitted he is expected a tough test from Sunderland as they look to bounce back from an 8-0 defeat at Southampton last weekend, with Arsenal desperate for a victory after they fell 11 points behind Chelsea in the Premier League title race.

"The danger is they will focus very hard on defending very well and we will get very few openings," he continued.

"They are a team who is relatively consistent. They had a great finish last year. When you go to Sunderland, you always expect commitment and fight from them for 90 minutes and we have to prepare for that. The result of last week will have dropped their confidence and increased their resolve to defend well.

"We focus just on our performance and we want to go on a run. Until now we have been relatively consistent in our attitude and performances, but not efficient enough defensively or offensively. We only lose two games against Dortmund and at Chelsea, but we have not been efficient enough in the other games."

Wenger confirmed he does not expect centre-back Laurent Koscielny to return to action until after the next international break, while he also offered an update on the fitness of midfielder Abou Diaby, who has been battling against a succession of injury problems for the last few years.

"He has been out for such a long time and when he plays it takes him a big time to recover," he said of his midfielder. "Diaby has gone through so many injuries. You wonder where he gets the strength from to come back hard and hard. When you come in the morning, he is already there. You can only admire him."

Midfielder Jack Wilshere is suspended for the trip to the Stadium of Light on Saturday, with Wenger reporting no fresh injuries following his side's 2-1 Champions League win against Anderlecht on Wednesday.

^ Back to Top ^