He’s been out for six months
Danny Welbeck could make his Arsenal return in the Europa League final against Chelsea, according to the Mail.
The striker has been sidelined with an ankle injury since November, when he was carried off on a stretcher during the Gunners’ 0-0 draw with Sporting Clube de Portugal in the group stage before undergoing two operations.
But having returned to full training, he is in contention to play on May 29th.
Welbeck’s career has been plagued by injury at both Manchester United and Arsenal, and the 28-year-old is likely to move on this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of June.
If he is passed fit enough to play against Chelsea in Baku, it will almost certainly be his final match for Arsenal.
Given the form of both Alexandre Lacazette, who picked up the club’s Player of the Season award, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has bagged 31 goals in all competitions this season, Welbeck has a slim chance of making the starting line-up.
He could prove a useful option from the bench, though, especially if the final reaches extra-time.
There are bigger issues at play regarding the Europa League final than Welbeck’s fitness, though. Dismal ticket allocations to fans of each participating club and travel complications due to the location of the event have put travelling fans in a difficult position.
Arsenal recently released a statement, urging European football’s governing body to ‘ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues’.
Strong statement from Arsenal regarding the Europa League Final: pic.twitter.com/tO2gk4n1Ba
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) May 16, 2019
