Arsene Wenger gives latest update on Alexis Sanchez’s fitness ahead of Arsenal v Bournemouth

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he may be forced to give Alexis Sanchez a breather during the hectic festive period following a gruelling start to the season for the Chile international.

The forward has started 11 of Arsenal’s 12 Premier League games so far this term and there had been concerns about his fitness levels after he suffered a minor muscular problem while on international duty with Chile.

However, Sanchez returned from international duty to feature from the start when Arsenal took on Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League at the weekend.

Wenger says that he is happy with Sanchez’s current fitness levels but concedes that he may have to give him some sort of break as the season unfolds.

Speaking in an interview with Arsenal’s website ahead of Wednesday’s clash with PSG, Wenger said: “If I have a possibility, I would like to give a winter break to everybody. We just had the luxury to do it with Mesut Ozil, because Germany didn’t pick him.

“But Chile played qualifiers for the World Cup and in fact, [Alexis] didn’t play in the first game, so he had a little break when they played in Colombia and he didn’t play. He was not overloaded with games.”

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Arsenal take on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as they look to return to winning ways in the English top flight.