Olivier Giroud could return to first team training at the end of November with his recovery from a broken foot progressing faster than expected.
The French international hasn’t played for the Gunners since the 2-2 draw with Everton on 23 August, a game in which he came off the bench to head a late equaliser before breaking down injured in stoppage time.
“[He is doing] very well,” Wenger said of Giroud at his pre-Burnley press conference.
“He’s three weeks ahead of schedule and I think he will join in normal training after the international break.
“He’s miles ahead of schedule.”
While it’s unlikely the 28-year-old will be ready for action straight away, he should be able to play some part in the seven games that make up a very hectic December schedule.
Giroud’s return also opens up the opportunity for Arsene Wenger to experiment with a 4-4-2 formation, a tactical shift he’s hinted he could deploy now that he also has the pace of Alexis, Welbeck and Walcott to play with.
The other long-term absentees – Laurent Koscielny, David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchy and Mesut Ozil – are also expected to be fit again before the end of the 2014.
Na na na na na na Giroud…
Everyone fit before the January window? We have enough strength and depth, unless we find super quality we are ok!!
erm……
I really hope Alexis can pull this team along until January and then we get most everyone healthy for the stretch run in 2015.
“Three weeks ahead of schedule”?
#ShadIn
GREAT news!
Let’s hope everyone coming back before January transfer window doesn’t mean wegner doesnt feel the need to not buy a CB.. wouldnt mind a DM too 😉
He’ll definitely be looking for a CB (as he was in the summer) and may be a bit more flexible about who he gets but hopefully not another ‘Squid’.
The game plan here should be simple, not to fall more than 6points behind Chelsea or whoever the league leaders will be by 31st of Dec. Winning ugly or beautifully, we must collect full points like we did last season. Come Jan we sign a CDM & a CB, give our challengers a run for their money and credentials so that if we can’t get pos1, pos2 awaits us. As we know, we were winning it last season for over 120 days of promise, then Chelsea was winning it at the final hurdle, in the end it was between mancity… Read more »
Big up Shad.
4-4-2
yum yum yum
this is massive, it’s no coincidence our attack doesn’t have the same fluency without him in the squad.
Great, we might need him in defence by then.
We need Koscielny and Debuchy more than anything in the world.
huge boost, apart from Alexis we’ve been quite dry in the goalscoring department
Giroud guarantees goals!
Great news!
Giroud brings way more than goals to the team, just look at how he changed the game coming on at Goodison.
Massive news. I want em all back ASAP…
great news about Giroud, though it certainly poses a challenge to the manager, but to be honest debuchy has to be the most important returning player, followed by walcott
The most important has to be Koscielny.
Can we just have our full squad fit for once….please??
It’s so bloody frustrating…ozil gets injured, theo comes back…like come on!!!
I’ll only be happy when ALL our first team players are back, not bits and pieces.
…or perhaps our record signing Mesut Ozil…
They’re all important. But you know what – even with most of our best players sidelined for vast swaths of time, we’ve only lost one league match so far, and we weren’t blown away in it. When everyone’s back, watch out for us!
I think am loving this.
Big lad, strong in the air, likes being in the box…introducing our new centre back….
Hangs like a horse, loves being in the box what more do we want
Mobility and pace.
Can he play CB?