Arsenal injury update: Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could return next week

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that long-term injury duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla could return to work next week, although pointing out that they are still not back in full training. The French boss, meanwhile, has claimed that he has not any fresh injury concerns for the weekend game against Crystal Palace while confirming that Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky will continue their recovery to full fitness with another appearance in the Under 21 game with Swansea on Thursday (14 April).

The Gunners host Crystal Palace on Sunday after appearing to wave goodbye to their Premier League title hopes last weekend with a 3-3 draw at West Ham, leaving them 13 points behind leader Leicester City, with one match in hand but only six games remaining. Yet, Wenger at least had some good news over an injury situation that have hampered the Gunners hopes to secure silverware.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Wilshere and Rosicky have been just some of the long-term victims but it looks like the quartet will be able to play again before the end of the campaign, in a boost to the players ahead of having a chance to be in Euro 2016 with their national teams.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is yet to play a game since suffering a knee injury during the Champions League last-16 first-leg game against Barcelona, with Wenger then ruling him out for up to seven weeks. Cazorla, meanwhile, has been on the side-lines for more than three months after the Spaniard suffered a rupture to his external knee ligament during the 1-1 draw with Norwich City on 29 November.

Wenger has suggested that the duo are progressing well and will be back soon: "Next week they will be back maybe, they are not back in full training yet. They are still on fitness work."

Wilshere and Rosicky, meanwhile, are in line to make an appearance in the U21 game against Swansea after they returned to action against the Newcastle United reserves on Friday (8 April). The former is yet to make an appearance for the first-team this season but still remains hopeful to be in Euro 2016.

Wenger said: "Jack and Tomas are playing today for the under-21s. They have had no reaction from last Friday's game and they look all right."

The Arsenal boss, meanwhile, claims that the rest of the players who draw against West Ham should also be available to face Crystal Palace on Sunday.

"From last Saturday's game against West Ham, we should have everyone available who was in the squad," Wenger confirmed.