Arsenal of England midfielder, Alex Iwobi is set to confront daunting odds in order to be fit and ready for next weekend’s start of action in the English Premier League, as he is yet to return to pre-season training with The Gunners, megasportsarena.com has gathered.
With the hours rolling by in fact motion, ahead of The Gunners’ opening match on Sunday, August 11 against Newcastle United, Arsenal coach, Unai Emery is already jinking his squad, with a plethora of new arrivals coming in, thereby leaving Iwobi on the fringes of missing out.
Iwobi, who is now expected to arrive at The Gunners’ training ground in London Colney on Monday, has not taken part in Arsenal’s six pre-season games and is set to miss their final friendly against Barcelona on Sunday.
Incidentally, FIFA’s recommendations on recovery periods between international matches and club commitments stipulate that Iwobi is not expected to resume training with Arsenal until next Thursday, August 8, as professional footballers are expected to get at least three weeks off from all physical activity after participating in a major championship.
With Iwobi having played in all seven matches Nigeria prosecuted en route to bronze at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, he get an extended break from Arsenal duties, but that now means he is unlikely to appear in their first match of the new season, even if he does resume training on Monday, which he wants to do in order not to be too laid-back.
With fellow-AFCON 2019 participants, John Mikel Obi, Francis Odinaka Uzoho and Samuel Kalu all back in training with their respective clubs in Turkey, Cyprus and France, Iwobi is wont to follow suit, hence his hint that Monday will see him back in London.
However, that might not be enough for the lad that got 51 appearances for The Gunners in all competitions last term, as Emery now appears set to tinker his side with a surfeit of talents to spare, with Nicolas Pepe the latest of a surprisingly busy summer shopping spree at Emirates Stadium.
