Arsene Wenger still unsure about fitness of England duo

Tuesday 19 May 2015
Danny Welbeck scored the winner at Old Trafford in the quarter-final

Arsene Wenger remains unsure whether England duo Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be fit to play in The FA Cup Final.

Arsenal meet Aston Villa on 30 May, and with both players facing a race against time to be fit for the Wembley showpiece, the Gunners boss says they will just have to wait and see.

"They all have to get fit very quickly now because there is not a long way to go to the Final," he said.

Arsenal v Aston Villa

FA Cup Final
5.30pm, Saturday 30 May
Wembley Stadium Connected by EE
Live on BBC One and BT Sport

Welbeck has been forced to miss the last three games with a knee injury and Oxlade-Chamberlain has been ruled out since the Sixth Round win at Manchester United in March with groin and hamstring problems.

The Arsenal manager was hopeful that Welbeck might have been able to resume full training this week but that has not proved to be the case.

And the situation looks slightly worse for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is still some way from regaining full fitness.

Wenger added: "I don't know yet, let's see how they all recover next week. 

alex-oxlade-chamberlain-injured

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has not played since 9 March

"Danny Welbeck is not available yet, he is not in full training, so I honestly don't know.

"I looked this morning – since January, Oxlade-Chamberlain has played one game, so the first challenge is for him is to be fit first."

There was better news for England midfielder Jack Wilshere though, who Wenger confirmed will be available for the England squad for the double-header against Republic of Ireland and Slovenia in June.

The 23-year-old made successful return to first-team action following a lengthy injury absence.

Wenger also said he hopes Calum Chambers will join up with the England Under-21 squad for the European Under-21 Championships in Czech Republic in June.

He added: "If Jack Wilshere is available, I think he will go with the full national team. Chambers - I hope that it is [with the Under-21 squad]."

By FA Staff