Aaron Ramsey will not return for Arsenal until after the forthcoming international break, with Arsène Wenger saying the midfielder was “not completely free in his mind” as he struggles to overcome a hamstring injury.
Ramsey limped out of the club’s opening game of the Premier League season, the 4-3 home defeat to Liverpool on 14 August, and it was originally hoped that he would be out for around three weeks. But he has not yet been able to train fully because he has felt pain every time he has prepared to do so.
The 25-year-old, who has a history of hamstring problems, starred for Wales at Euro 2016 had said that he did not expect to be match fit for the beginning of the new season. Chris Coleman, the Wales manager, said that he was surprised to see Ramsey play against Liverpool and has questioned whether the injury could have been prevented.
Ramsey is set to miss his club’s next three games – against Chelsea, Basel in the Champions League and Burnley – and the Arsenal manager does not expect him to join up with Wales for their World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Georgia on 6 and 9 October. Arsenal’s first fixture after the international break is at home to Swansea City on 15 October.
“Aaron is still struggling with his hamstring and I don’t think that he will be available against Basel or at Burnley so, before the break, he will not be available,” Wenger said. “We had a few disappointments because he was close to joining again and, every time, he is not completely ready. He is not far, but we have to be cautious with him.
“He has a small grade-one hamstring but he is not completely free in his mind yet to push completely, so we stop him every time when he has a little pain. He is in the last days of his rehab and, as long as he is not completely comfortable, we do not push him.”
Wenger was asked whether Ramsey’s injury history influenced how he was handled. “Not really, because it’s nothing major,” Wenger replied. “But I am a bit more cautious than I would be. If he was ready to play, I would involve him in the squad, but he is not. Will he go away with Wales? I don’t think so.”
