Arsenal could have Henrikh Mkhitaryan ready for their Europa League semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid next Thursday, says Arsene Wenger.
The 29-year-old Armenian was set to miss the rest of the season after suffering medial knee ligament damage in Arsenal’s first leg quarter-final win over CSKA Moscow.
However, Wenger believes Mkhitaryan could be included in the squad to face Atletico Madrid next week after the midfielder began light training:
“Mkhitaryan is running again and he has to progress in next three or four days to see what intensity we can have in training.
“He could possibly return on Thursday at the earliest.”
Before Arsenal face Atletico next week however, the Gunners take on West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Although it is a London derby, Wenger is highly likely to rest a few of his starting XI for the game against Atletico, knowing that a top four finish this season is out of reach. And the possible inclusion of Mkhitaryan in his Europa League squad is a huge boost for the Frenchman and the Arsenal faithful as well.
