Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck to miss the start of the season through knee injury 

• e-mail

Danny Welbeck will miss that start of the Premier League season as concerns persist over a long-term knee injury.

Sportsmail revealed on July 8 how the forward's pre-season campaign had been disrupted by the same injury that ruled him out of the closing stages of last season.

And manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed Welbeck is still to return to training, meaning he will miss the start of the new season.

Danny Welbeck will miss that start of the Premier League season as concerns persist over a knee injury

Welbeck's pre-season has been disrupted by the same injury that ruled him out at the end of last season

'Welbeck is not in full training yet, he has not fully recovered,' said Wenger.

'He is supposed to start to go outside and run again this weekend and from now on, if that is positive in the next three weeks he will be available

'He will be short for the start of the season in two weeks, but three weeks should be all right.'

The news also leaves Welbeck as a fitness concern for England's Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland at the start of September.

Welbeck is still to return to training and the former Manchester United is about three weeks away from being fit

Welbeck is now a fitness concern for England's Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland

Meanwhile, Wenger insists goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny still has a long term future at the club despite his imminent move to Roma.

The arrival of Petr Cech has pushed the Pole further down the pecking order at Arsenal, but Wenger said: 'I believe he will have a future at Arsenal because I personally rate him highly.

'I put him in the first team at the age of 20 and he already has huge experience and I don't want that experience he got when he was very young to be wasted and that is why I gave him the opportunity.

'Competition for places is part of it, I believe Roma is a big club and they are in the Champions League, play in a very different championship as well and that is a big experience for him and he is 25 years old.'

Wojciech Szczesny has been pushed down the pecking order at Arsenal due to the arrival of Petr Cech

Arsene Wenger has insisted that Szczesny has a future at Arsenal despite the arrival of goalkeeper Cech