Arsene Wenger confirms Arsenal star Danny Welbeck remains doubt for FA Cup final against Aston Villa
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mathieu Debuchy are all unavailable for the game against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday 24 May while the forward could also miss the FA Cup final with Aston Villa the following weekend.
The North London side host Tony Pulis's side for the last Premier League game of the campaign before the FA Cup final on 30 May.
And after all but securing third place of the Premier League to avoid the Champions League play off with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Wednesday 20 May, the French boss has confirmed he expects to make some rotation in the line-up against West Brom while the trio will miss the game.
"I will certainly rest one or two players on Sunday, but the most important thing is to win," Wenger said.
"We have no basic injuries from our last game. We had a few jaded legs maybe at the end of the game but we'll see how everybody recovers for Sunday. Do we have anybody back for Sunday? Danny Welbeck no, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back in full training today (Friday), and Mathieu Debuchy as well. They might be a bit short.
Wenger also suggested that should Welbeck miss the last two games of the campaign with Arsenal he should also be excluded from Roy Hodgson's plans for the internationals against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia next month.
"If he is not available for the FA Cup final then I can't see him being available for England," said Wenger.
"There is a good chance that he will be available for England. It's difficult to know. He had a little knee problem and will go out today for the first time. We have to wait for the response to that to know if he responds in a positive way. He could be fit very quickly."
Meanwhile, the manager explained the importance of finishing the Premier League campaign with a victory at home after his side have failed to score a goal in the last three games at the Emirates Stadium -- against Chelsea, Swansea and Sunderland.
"It is a big warning because we have a home game and want to finish the job. we want to finish on a high at the Emirates and want our fans to go home full of hope for next season."
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