Arsenal striker Lucas Perez expected to return against Swansea following knee injury scare

Arsenal striker Lucas Perez will be ready to return to action after the international break despite suffering an injury scare with his knee last week, sources told IBTimes UK. The Spaniard missed the 1-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday but already attended some light training on Monday and will be back available to face Swansea on 15 October.

The absence of the 28-year-old striker from the squad facing Burnley sparked speculation as Arsene Wenger was left without a forward on the bench at Turf Moor stadium. Yet, long-term absentee Danny Welbeck remained on the side-lines while Oliver Giroud was also out for the game due to another fitness concern.

Arsenal quickly reacted by announcing on Twitter that Lucas had been ruled out for the game due to a "slight knee injury". However, some reports suggested that dropping the striker was a tactical decision for Arsene Wenger after Lucas had also been an unused substitute in the previous two victories over Chelsea and Basel.

However, IBTimes UK can confirm that Lucas did end the last training session ahead of the trip to Burnley with a swollen knee. The slight injury was only a minor concern, however, following the advice of club doctors, Wenger decided to rest him for the game against Burnley to avoid any risk.

Lucas is thus already back in training and hopes to take advantage of the international break to convince Wenger that he deserves a role in his plans ahead of the Swansea game. Yet, the Arsenal boss will be training without the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott or Mesut Ozil this week as most of his first-team stars are away on international duty.

The French boss will thus give Lucas and the rest of his players some days off at the end of the current week in order to have them back fresh next week. Ahead of busy fixtures, which will come in the second part of the month, there will be a visit from Swansea before three home games against Ludogorets (Champions League), Middlesbrough (Premier League) and Reading (EFL Cup).

Lucas has only started two games since his arrival from Deportivo in the dying days of the transfer window due to the impressive form of Alexis playing up front. Yet, he scored a brace in the previous EFL Cup round against Nottingham Forest and is expected to have a chance to prove himself further in the coming busy fixtures.