ARSENAL defender Shkodran Mustafi is facing a race against time to be fit for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Southampton.
The German suffered a muscular injury in the 3-1 defeat against Manchester United on Saturday.
He will sit out the final Europa League group game against BATE Borisov tonight, which his manager Arsene Wenger insisted he was going to field a strong side despite qualification being already assured.
However, the 25-year-old is a major doubt for the weekend. Wenger let slip his star was struggling when discussing his plans for the visit of the Belarusian outfit.
He said: “Everybody is available. There is a small problem with Mustafi from Saturday but everybody else looks alright. “He’s got a little thigh problem, but it’s a small one. He could be available for Southampton.”
That could force Wenger to leave Rob Holding or Per Mertesacker out against BATE in case they are required for the visit of the Saints. Mustafi did not train with his team-mates on Wednesday.
His loss would be a huge blow to Arsenal as they attempt to bounce back to winning ways. They had won three Prem games on the bounce until their loss to the Red Devils at the Emirates. The Gunners can take their foot off the gas a little against BATE having already reached the knockout stages.
However, a number of fringe men will be hoping to impress if given the opportunity. Soon to be out of contract Jack Wilshere is one of those men as he strives to become a regular domestically having been used mainly in the cups.
The injury-plagued midfielder enjoyed a family outing to the ice rink earlier this week, with the England international sharing a snap from the day out onto his social media accounts. But his boss was not overly impressed, with Wenger admitting it was “not ideal” to see Wilshere risking a potential new blow by going ice skating.
From The Sun
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