Arsene Wenger confirms Granit Xhaka injury blow after Manchester United win

Granit Xhaka is a doubt for Arsenal's trip to St Mary's to take on Southampton on Wednesday (10 May) after suffering a recurrence of the ankle injury he picked up during the loss to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Arsene Wenger confirmed the injury after the win over Manchester United on Sunday night (7 May) and said he was unsure if Xhaka, who was withdrawn in the 76<sup>th minute, will be available for the midweek clash against the Saints. Francis Coquelin replaced the Swiss midfielder and the Frenchman is likely to continue in his role on Wednesday.

"He got injured last time and he got a recurrence of that," Wenger said after the 2-0 win over the Red Devils, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

"We'll see. I don't know," was the Frenchman's response when asked about Xhaka's availability for the midweek Premier League game.

The Switzerland international has been ever present in Arsenal's midfield since his arrival in the summer, and after a few sketchy performances at the start, he has been impressing consistently in recent months.

Xhaka has formed a strong partnership with Aaron Ramsey and the duo played an integral role in helping Arsenal beat Jose Mourinho's side. He scored the opening goal of the game via a strong deflection off Ander Herrera's back.

Wenger praised the midfielder's performance and said that his £35m ($45.3m) signing from Borussia Monchengladbach is slowly discovering his 'stature' in the middle of the park.

"He has improved from the start to now. He is slowly getting stature in the middle of the park," the French coach added, praising his midfielder.

Arsenal continue their quest for a top four finish in the Premier League when they take on Southampton on Wednesday. They are currently in sixth place – six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, but have played one game fewer.