Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck could be back on the pitch by Christmas after doctors found he is healing faster than expected, Arsene Wenger has said.
Welbeck underwent knee surgery in May and was initially ruled out for nine months, having only recently returned from a similar layoff. But Wenger said a recent initial worry that the England international may have to be sidelined even longer turned out to be good news in the end.
Doctors last week inserted a camera in his knee to see how Welbeck was healing after an inflammation flared up, and Wenger said "If the healing was not good, he would have been out until April. But the news was excellent and he will be back around Christmas."
It comes as a welcome boost for the Gunners, who are already struggling with injuries just a game into the new season. Central defenders Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista both suffered long-term problems in preseason, while Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi are out until after the international break after being injured against Liverpool on Sunday.
"[Welbeck] was the good news of last week, the only good news. That was very positive," Wenger said.