Arsenal fans feel that Alexis Sanchez could be pushing for a summer exit after he was ruled out of the Premier League opener against Leicester City.
The Chile international sustained an abdominal strain prior to the Community Shield game and manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the 28-year-old will not feature in the curtain raiser on Friday.
Wenger did not give an actual return date for the attacker, but he could predictably return in two weeks’ time to take on Liverpool at Anfield. Speaking to Arsenal’s official website, he said:
“He had a little abdominal strain that he caught on Sunday morning in training, before he came to Wembley. He had a scan two days ago and he’s out for a while – we don’t know if it is two weeks or one more week, but he will not be available. We think he will not play at Stoke.”
Earlier this month, Sanchez’s absence through illness had led to doubts over his future, and the faithful have taken to social media again to suggest that he could be plotting a way out of the Emirates.
Here are the best tweets on Sanchez’s injury:
Sanchez doesn't want to play for Arsenal anymore. He wants out. Wenger knows it. All these excuses aren't worth it. Move on… #AFC
— Count Olaf (@lexisrenis) August 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/Sharknal/status/895192947066646529
https://twitter.com/jimmv38/status/895240228318957568
So Alexis Sanchez who previously would only miss a game if his legs were literally falling off now misses Leic game due to "stomach bug" 🤔
— KindGooner (@GoonerTiliDie19) August 9, 2017
The #Arsenal Alexis Sanchez saga needs to be sorted out, if he wants out let him go – use him to sign someone who wants to play for the club
— Chris (@FMCJ10) August 9, 2017
Alexis Sanchez misses Arsenal's first league game due to an 'abdominal strain'. Yeah, safe to say he's off…
— Alex Lillyart (@AlexLillyart) August 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/SeanBurgessBlog/status/895236798816890880
https://twitter.com/wozznotwas/status/895241327528599552
The Chile international enjoyed his best scoring campaign of his career last term as he bagged 30 goals and 15 assists, and his influence will be crucial to the Gunners’ quest for a long-awaited title.
Sanchez has less than a year left on his existing deal, and Wenger has maintained his stance of selling his attacker despite the strong interest from the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal have endured a relatively quiet period in the transfer window of late with their pursuit of Thomas Lemar having reached a standstill. Wenger is still deemed to be interested in the 21-year-old, but he may have to offload a few fringe players before lodging a fresh attempt for the France international.
