Arsenal have welcomed Aaron Ramsey back to training ahead of Sunday’s season-opening visit from Premier League champions Manchester City.
Wales midfielder Ramsey has been struggling with a calf problem sustained in the warm-up prior to last week’s International Champions Cup clash with Chelsea.
The 27-year-old, who is in the final year of his deal at Emirates Stadium, could now play some part in Unai Emery’s first competitive match in charge of the Gunners.
Questions had surrounded Ramsey leading up to Thursday’s transfer deadline, as his contract expires at the end of the season.
Reports suggested the midfielder had been seeking £300,000-a-week ($390,000), but his agents have denied that claim.
He had been linked to Liverpool and Chelsea, but Ramsey ultimately remained with the Gunners as the window closed.
While Ramsey might be available for Sunday’s opener, Sead Kolasinac will certainly miss out, with a knee injury that should sideline him for at least eight weeks.
Fellow defender Laurent Koscielny is not expected back until the end of the year as he continues to recover from a long-term Achilles injury.
Arsenal will aim to get their season off to a good start against City, after finishing 37 points behind the champions last season.
Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. Unai Emery has quite the decision to make: does he risk Aaron Ramsey? Even with World Cup to tide me over, the return of the domestic season is always of eager anticipation. And this season, with Arsenal making a raft of changes from top to bottom, is perhaps more exciting and uncertain than any other.Moreover, the Gunners open the year against Manchester City. While many bemoaned the fixture gods when the schedule was announced, it is a fascinating opener, one with myriad storylines that will unfold over a riveting 90 minutes. I cannot wait.
Unai Emery, in his first competitive match as Arsenal head coach, has quite the raft of selection decisions to make. Because of the World Cup and the delayed return of many of his more established players, Emery has a collection of players with a range of fitness levels. There are those that are definitely out, Sead Kolasinac and Laurent Koscielny, for instance. There are those that have not played on their return from the World Cup. There are those that have played a bit in the preseason but probably not enough. And then there are those that have been at the club for the whole preseason and should be razor sharp.
And then there’s Aaron Ramsey. The central midfielder who is reportedly the individual who Emery wants to build the team around, the Arsenal Player of the Season, the man who has spurned the chance to sign a new contract, now entering the final year of his current deal, and the injury-stricken player who only returned to training this week after suffering a slight calf issue earlier in the pre season.
At the heart of this team, Emery must decide whether he will risk Ramsey. The Welshman will not be fully fit. That is for certain. But is he still a better option than an equally unprepared Lucas Torreira or Granit Xhaka or inexperienced Matteo Guendouzi or restricted Mohamed Elneny?
While rushing a player back from injury is never wise, especially at the start of the season when suffering a longer-term injury is plausible and against a team of City’s quality, who will easily take advantage of a midfielder lacking the cutting-edge sharpness at the top level, given the lack of convincing alternatives, Emery may be persuaded into starting Ramsey.
Another way that he could go is to abandon the presence of a marauding central midfielder, play with two holding players in two from Xhaka, Torreira and Guendouzi, and insert Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a wide position, moving Mesut Ozil into a central attacking midfield role. It would be risky to field so many attacking players against a team as potent as City, but it may be his best option.