London: Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka could miss Wednesday’s Premier League game at Southampton due to a recurring ankle injury, manager Arsene Wenger said after his side’s 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
Xhaka, who sustained an ankle injury during Arsenal’s loss at Tottenham Hotspur on April 30, scored the opening goal at the Emirates on Sunday but was forced off in the 76th minute.
“He got injured last time and he got a recurrence of that,” Wenger said after the game.
“We’ll see. I don’t know,” Wenger said when asked if he was fit for the trip to St Mary’s Stadium.
Xhaka, who joined Arsenal before the start of the season, has scored four goals in 41 appearances for the club in all competitions.
“He has improved from the start to now,” Wenger told the BBC. “He is slowly getting stature in the middle of the park.” Sixth-placed Arsenal beat Southampton 5-0 in the FA Cup in January but have recorded one league win in their last six visits to St Mary’s.
Danny Welbeck added a second with a fierce header following Xhaka’s opener against United after good work from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right.
And Wenger said he was thrilled for the injury-plagued forward.
“That’s the kind of goal you want from Danny,” said Wenger. “It was a great goal. I am happy for him. He has all the abilities a striker needs. Hopefully, that will give him a boost.” Although he did not respond to suggestions that Welbeck always does well against United, the striker was clearly delighted to score against the club where he spent 13 years.
“I grew up there and everything so it’s a special place in my life,” said Welbeck. “But once we get on that pitch, it’s business. When you score you’ve got to be happy, haven’t you?” The goal was his fourth of an injury-affected season.
