Arsenal striker Lucas Perez recovering ahead of schedule

Arsenal striker Lucas Perez has revealed that he is recovering well and is on course to make an early comeback to action after being ruled out for 4 to 6 weeks following an ankle injury he picked up against Reading in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The striker is in Spain, training with his former club Deportivo la Coruna, and his admission will come as a major boost for the Gunners, who are going through an injury crisis at the moment.

Perez has scored two goals thus far for the Gunners, both in the EFL Cup and was looking good to make a sustained appearance in the Premier League before the injury. However, with Alexis Sanchez struggling with a calf strain and Danny Welbeck still recovering from a knee injury, it is the perfect time for Perez to come back into the mix.

"I have been 15 days out and they told me it would be between six and eight weeks. The ankle is reacting well. We are meeting the deadlines. Now I am just thinking in recovering as soon as possible and that the manager (Arsene Wenger) will give me more minutes as he was doing before the injury," Perez had earlier said in an interview with Cadena Cope.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are sweating over an injury to Alexis, who missed Chile's game against Colombia owing to injury but is expected to return against Uruguay as the South American side look to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Wenger is incensed at Chile's insistence on using the player despite the injury and urged them to exercise caution, especially with an important game coming up against Manchester United after the break.

"I got a text last night [to say] that he has a hamstring injury," English football's longest-serving manager told beIN Sports. "The team from Chile has travelled without him and they kept him to try and get him fit to play Uruguay for the second game on Tuesday night.

"We have to get access for our medical staff to the MRI scan to see what grade it is, how bad it is and make absolutely sure they don't make any suicidal decision that could harm his future for two or three months.