Wenger gives latest Arsenal injury update after Spurs clash

Nicklas Bendtner has been ruled out for a month with an ankle problem but Olivier Giroud should be available for Arsenal’s next game at Aston Villa, Arsene Wenger has revealed.

Both strikers sat out Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, with Theo Walcott deployed up front for the third-round clash.

Asked if he thinks Arsenal are short up front following a mounting injury list, Wenger joked: “We are short because Theo is not very tall! [But] we still have Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil on the bench.

Bendtner will be out for one month, we expected it could have been more, but we had good news

Arsene Wenger

“Giroud was sick, he was not injured, so for the next game he should be available.

“Bendtner will be out for one month, we expected it could have been more, but we had good news.”

Walcott was carried off on a stretcher in the second half of the win after suffering a knee problem, with Arsenal set to assess the extent of his injury in the coming days.

“Theo has a knee problem,” said Wenger. “We don’t know if it is a stretched ligament or just a kick, he got two kicks on his knee.

“Of course if we lose Theo for a longer period, it is a problem.”

Asked about his transfer plans for the January window, Wenger remained typically coy, saying: “I am waiting to see now who walks out there and knocks at the door, waiting to come in. Honestly, do we find better than the players that we have got?”

The Frenchman also revealed that midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to return to training next week as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.

“He is close to being back in training,” said Wenger of Oxlade-Chamberlain. “That’ll be next week but it takes time to be competitive again.”