Shkodran Mustafi has vowed to comeback stronger after suffering a hamstring injury in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.
The Germany international limped off the pitch just 25 minutes into the game after complaining of tightness in his hamstring, with Hector Bellerin coming on in his place as Gabriel moved to center-back.
The 24-year-old, who joined the club from Valencia in the summer has forged a solid partnership with Koscielny in the heart of the Gunners defence.
Wenger during his post match press conference confirmed the German international will miss the next three weeks of action, bringing an abrupt pause to his excellent start at the Emirates club since his summer move.
Mustafi admitted his unhappiness with the injury, but insisted he will do everything he can to come back even stronger. He said:
Very bitter injury at that point of the season. I’ll do everything I can to recover quickly and come back stronger than before.
Here is the post from his official Twitter account:
Very bitter injury at that point of the season. I'll do everything I can to recover quickly and come back stronger than before 💪🏽🔜🔙🔛🔝 #sm20 pic.twitter.com/OMWeDiVucm
— Shkodran Mustafi (@MustafiOfficial) December 11, 2016
The North London club are already without play-maker Santi Cazorla and Wenger now has another key injury to contend with, just as the schedule is picking up.
The French manager has two options at his disposal, they are Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding, with Per Mertesacker still returning from injury and yet to prove his fitness. Gabriel has filled in at full-back admirably with Hector Bellerin’s recent injury issues and Jenkinson’s poor form.
Gabriel is clearly the more experienced of the two but does possess an aggressive streak to his game that can sometimes hurt the team. However, over the past few games, playing at full-back he appeared lot more composed.
On the other hand, Mustafi’s injury offers Wenger the opportunity to give Holding some precious game time, to aid his development. The boss is likely to play Gabriel, but don’t be surprised if Holding gets a game or two during this spell.
