Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reported to be growing concerned at the amount of time it is taking Aaron Ramsey to recover from his latest injury.
Ramsey has not played a full game since picking up a hamstring injury on the first day of the season and is set to continue to be sidelined, which means he will not feature against Chelsea on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is back in training and has been for the last couple of weeks, albeit lightly, but he has not made the progress that Wenger would have liked.
The club are taking a soft approach with the Welsh international, the last thing they want to do is rush him back, but that has not stopped them becoming concerned at how long his recovery is taking.
It is bewildering that a club like Arsenal continue to have these issues with injuries to their star players and Ramsey is just the latest in a long line of Arsenal players to be plagued with injury setbacks.
It is also not good news for Wales, the last thing they need is one of their star men to have a season beset with injury issues.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Paulista is determined to fight for a starting spot at Arsenal despite the arrival of £35 million signing Shkodran Mustafi.
Gabriel made his first appearance of the season in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup third round after recovering from an ankle injury.
However, the Brazilian now faces added competition after Arsene Wenger spent big on bringing in Mustafi from Valencia in the summer, with 20-year-old Rob Holding also joining from Bolton Wanderers.
In the absence of Gabriel and the injured Per Mertesacker, Mustafi has been forming a partnership with Laurent Koscielny after his arrival and is likely to do so again in Saturday’s home game against Chelsea.
Gabriel was already familiar with the German after playing against him in La Liga, and says Mustafi’s character will be a big help to the Arsenal dressing room.
“He’s got a lot of technical ability, and he’s also strong and quick,” Gabriel said. “I’ve also followed him in the German national team and he’s the kind of player who instils belief in his teammates.
“I think at Arsenal this will be the case as well, he’s another player that’ll improve the squad and help us try and achieve our objectives.”